Serpent's Game Book 1: The Mew Slayers
by Count Morningstar
Summary: The long awaited sequel to The Black Mew Mew. For two months after the incident with the Chimera Stone, Ichigo and Masaya have kept peace in the city. But when Ichigo awakens new powers, an ancient evil rises and brings forth its own twisted version of the Mew Mews to destroy her. Meanwhile, Zakuro and Mint's realtionship takes a turn.
1. Prologue

**Introduction:** About two years ago after I joined this site, I did a little story called _The Black Mew Mew_. It was a little Tokyo Mew Mew story inspired by the classic comic book plot used in the movie disaster known as _Spider-Man 3_. Back then I had planned to do a sequel to that story, along with a related Sailor Moon story. But there were creative issues that came up. I ended up starting my Pokemon AU for one thing. And as time went by, I pretty much abandoned the Sailor Moon story.

But I hadn't forgotten about doing a sequel to _The Black Mew Mew_, and eventually I came up with another idea based on some old ideas I had come up with even before I got the notion to write fan fiction. That's what this story is. It's taken a long time to get this story off the ground. In the past whenever I tried working on it, I'd either get really blocked or something bad would happen in my personal life. But even though I still have some ongoing projects, I feel the time has finally come to get this series off the ground. So sit back and prepare for a Tokyo Mew Mew story unlike any other.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

* * *

Prologue

The full moon shined brightly in the night sky over the vast Egyptian desert as Kish beamed down. The pointed eared alien took a moment to look at his surroundings. In the distance he could see the Great Pyramids. The moon and the stars seemed to enhance the mystical quality of the old tombs. Kish couldn't help but admire those pyramids. They were after all from a time long before the majority of the human race became ignorant wasteful buffoons that cared nothing for the planet they lived on.

As Kish took in the sights, his two companions beamed down next to him. One was a short alien with red hair named Tart. The other a tall blonde alien named Pie.

"Well Pie? Is this the place?" Kish asked with a serious expression.

Pie looked at the hand held scanning device he was holding. "This is where the signal is strongest. It should be straight ahead."

"This does match up with the place mentioned in my family's old journals." Kish agreed.

"Hey, how come you never mentioned that your ancestors came here thousands of years ago?" Tart asked.

"You never asked." Kish answered. "Now let's go."

The three aliens walked across the desert until they came to the top of a tall hill. What they saw below was a large silver pyramid that seemed to glow in the light of the moon. It looked as though the structure had been recently uncovered.

"This is where the signal is coming from." Pie informed the others as he looked at his scanner. "I believe we've found what we came for."

"Hey! Looks like we're not the only ones to find this place." Tart noticed as he pointed down at the pyramid's base.

Down by the pyramid was a small grouping of black trucks and jeeps. Not far away from them was a cluster of white tents that had been set up by the owners of those vehicles.

"Damn!" Kish cursed. "I was afraid this was what we'd find when we picked up the signal. Come on! We have to get in there before those idiot humans wreck the place!"

No longer bothering to walk, the trio flew down and entered the opening in the side of the silver pyramid. In moments they were walking down a dark narrow corridor. Their eyes could see very little, but their ears could pick up much more. And the three were not more than a few steps away from the entrance before they heard footsteps coming towards them. The three froze, and an instant later a barrage of automatic gunfire came at them from the darkness. Kish and the others easily dodged the hail of bullets.

"Don't move!" commanded a voice from the darkness.

"Someone's standing guard, I see." Kish observed as his mouth formed into a grin. "Why not come out and say hello?"

Walking out of the darkness was a man in his late thirties with blonde hair. He had on tan camouflage gear and black gloves. The rifle in his hands was still trained on Kish and his companions.

"I'm only going to tell you once. Leave now!" the blonde ordered.

"You've got guts to stand up to the likes of us, dude." Tart smugly admitted. "But there's no way you can take us down with that pathetic toy."

Before the man could react, Pie rushed in and knocked the rifle out of his hands. The alien then tried to deliver a punch to the man's gut, but the stranger evaded the attack and pulled out a large knife.

"Gentlemen, please. There's no need for hostility." A young voice interrupted before the fight could get any further.

"Who's there?" Kish demanded to know.

Walking out of the darkness was a young man with short white hair and very dark-blue eyes. He had on a tan short sleeved shirt and matching shorts.

"This is indeed a very unexpected pleasure." The young man remarked. "Am I correct that you three are the band of aliens that attacked Tokyo not long ago in an attempt to exterminate the human race?"

"And just who are you?" Kish asked.

"Forgive my manners. I should introduce myself." The young man replied. "My name is Anton Moreau. The gentleman you've been sparing with is my manservant, Lance Montgomery."

"We don't care who you losers are!" Tart told them. "Now get lost!"

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you would show up here." Moreau remarked, completely ignoring Tart's order. "I assume you are here after all because of this pyramid's connection to Ichigo Momomiya."

Kish's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"I see. So you aren't aware." Moreau observed. "I'd be happy to explain to you what I found, but first I think it would help a great deal if you'd explain why the three of you came to this place."

"As if we'd tell you!" Tart shot back.

"Shut up, Tart!" Kish ordered.

"But Kish…" Tart began. The dark-haired alien held his hand up to silence him.

"So then, are you going to cooperate?" Moreau asked.

"Thousands of years ago, a group of my ancestors came to this planet to take if back from the humans, just like the three of us did." Kish began. "But they ended up getting involved in a great war against an evil that would've torn this planet apart. A great hero of that war is buried in this place."

"We came here because the tomb was giving off a signal designed to alert our people in case it was violated." Pie added.

"I see." Moreau replied. "Well I assure you that my colleagues and I have not come here to violate sacred ground. In any case, you three have just confirmed my findings."

"What does any of this have to do with Ichigo?" Kish asked. "How the hell do you even know her?"

"That, my alien friend, is a very long story." Moreau answered. "But after my… dealings… with Ichigo and the rest of Tokyo Mew Mew, I devoted myself to an area of research that over time led me to this tomb that was recently uncovered by sandstorms."

"You still haven't said what all this has to do with Ichigo!" Kish impatiently pointed out.

"Yes, well… I think it would be much easier to explain if I showed you what we found inside the tomb." Moreau decided.

With that, Moreau and Montgomery led Kish and the others further into the tomb. In a matter of minutes they had arrived inside a large chamber illuminated with lights set up by Moreau's archeological team. Towering over a sarcophagus in the center of the chamber was a large statue of a girl who looked to be in her mid teens. She had hair cut just above her shoulders and a pair of cat ears atop her head. The statue's face had been carved to make it look like the girl was sleeping, and her arms were crossed over her chest like the arms of a mummy.

Kish's expression changed to one of shock. "That's… Ichigo?"

"I was as surprised as you are now when I first saw it." Moreau admitted. "Had I still been plagued with illness, I probably would've passed out and had to be taken to a hospital. Though I did have to sit down for a few minutes."

"What does this mean?" Pie wondered.

"I've been asking the same question." Moreau replied. "The five of us in this room know the face of this statue as that of Ichigo Momomiya. Yet the one entombed her is someone else entirely. To the three of you, this young lady was a hero from another world that came to slay a great evil. But to the ancient Egyptians she was the sacred goddess of cats, Bastet. Given that all this is far too bizarre to be a coincidence, I can only think of one logical explanation for what we're seeing. Ichigo Momomiya, the leader of Tokyo Mew Mew, is the reincarnation of Bastet."

"Yeah right!" Tart scoffed. "As if that's even possible! This guy is just pulling our leg, Kish."

"I don't think so." Pie told him as he looked again at his scanner. "This statue is as old as this tomb, and there's no sign it's been tampered with in any way."

"As intriguing as this discovery is, it's also quite troubling." Moreau remarked. "Especially considering what sort of being Bastet was fighting when she died, the one known as The Enemy of Ra."

"You're pretty smart, for a human." Kish commented. "But the thing you're talking about isn't a threat anymore."

"Don't be so sure." Moreau told him. "If you know the legend I'm speaking of, then you know as well as I do that the enemy we speak of wasn't killed. It was only sealed. And now my actions, while in some ways beneficial to Ichigo, will very likely cause her to awaken as Bastet very soon. When that happens, that enemy will make a move against her."

"Are you saying you put Ichigo in danger?" Kish asked with an angry glare, causing Montgomery to pull out his knife again.

"Calm yourself, my alien friend." Moreau told him as he raised his hands. "I am currently trying to rectify my mistakes. Fortunately, I have a plan. Though I'm not certain it will work. Of course if we were to join forces, there is a greater chance of success. With my brains and your abilities, we can obtain the power we need to not only save Ichigo and the rest of Tokyo Mew Mew, but the entire planet as well. So what do you say?"

Kish was silent for a moment as he thought over Moreau's proposal. "Okay human. Start talking."

* * *

**Author's Note:** For those who don't know, Moreau and Montgomery are the villains from my previous story, The Black Mew Mew. This is the sequel to this story, after all. Anyway, chapter one is already up. So feel free to proceed.

Also, please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Evolution

**Author's Note:** I'm sure many of you reading have realized that I'm borrowing a good deal from Egyptian mythology. I've also taken a few liberties with these mythological figures, as you shall soon see.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

* * *

Chapter 1: Evolution

_Ichigo Momomiya stood in what seemed to be the corridor of a ship with golden walls. She didn't know how she knew it was a ship, or what kind of ship it was. She didn't even know how she had gotten there. All Ichigo knew for sure was that the place was somehow familiar to her. Suddenly walking towards her was a young-looking man with black hair and long pointed ears. He had on ancient-looking sleeveless gold armor that made him look like he had come out of a movie set in Ancient Egypt. But what surprised Ichigo most was the young man's face._

_'What's Kish doing here?' Ichigo wondered to herself._

_Just as Ichigo opened her mouth to speak, the young alien she thought was Kish walked right through her as if she was a ghost. When she turned around, Ichigo saw a young woman that looked exactly like her coming down the corridor from the other end. There were some major differences with her look alike though. Her hair was black instead of red and she had striking emerald eyes. She had the cat ears and tail that Ichigo sometimes had, and around her tail was a golden ring. Her outfit consisted of a shimmering Egyptian style emerald dress, along with golden sandals and ornaments. She even had on a tiara with an eye-like symbol on the front that covered her forehead._

_"There you are Drenos." Ichigo's double spoke to Kish's look alike._

_"Oh! Princess Bastet!" Kish's startled double responded. "I had no idea you were looming for me."_

_"Never mind that." Bastet told him. "Do you know where my sister is?"_

_"I believe Princess Sekhmet is in the alchemy lab." Drenos answered. "She's finishing her special project as we speak."_

_The name Sekhmet seemed to ring a bell in Ichigo's mind. She felt she had heard the name somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it._

_Bastet gave a heavy sigh. "I should've known. To think that she would still be going through with that project even after Mage Lord Thoth warned her not to."_

_"Your older sister is only doing what she feels is the best way to protect this world." Drenos pointed out._

_"I know, but sometimes her approach can be a little… messy." Bastet reminded him. "Well no matter. That will be all. Thank you for your help Drenos."_

_Drenos bowed before turning and walking off. Bastet meanwhile headed off in the opposite direction, causing Ichigo to follow. In moments, Bastet and Ichigo were inside what looked like a large laboratory with what looked like a tank in the center. Standing before the tank was a young woman who looked to be about seventeen with long raven hair that went down to her waist and striking ruby eyes. She also had a pair of what looked like lion ears on her head, along with a lion's tail with a gold ring on it. The young woman had on an outfit almost identical to Bastet's. The difference was that the dress was ruby red and it had a slightly longer skirt._

_The young woman turned her head in time to see Bastet enter the room. "Ah, there you are Bast. You just missed me putting the finishing touch on my little creation."_

_"So you really went through with it, eh Sekhmet?" Bastet replied as she went up to the tank._

_"That's right, little sister." Sekhmet confirmed. "I'm calling it the Eye of Sekhmet. What do you think?"_

_Ichigo looked inside the tank and saw a small round green gemstone sitting atop a pedestal. Immediately Ichigo remembered where she had heard the name Sekhmet before upon seeing the stone. For the Eye of Sekhmet was also called the Chimera Stone, a mystical relic which two months before had restored Ichigo's Mew Mew powers, but also had turned her into the savage Black Mew Mew._

_"Sekhmet, you know Lord Thoth warned you against making this stone." Bastet reminded her. "I'm getting a bad feeling about it."_

_"Oh please, you worry to much Bast." Sekhmet replied. "Besides, what does that old wizard know anyway?_

_"A lot more than you might think, young lady." A voice interrupted, causing Ichigo and the other two to turn._

_Walking into the lab was a being that stood about seven feet tall with a blue bird-like face that had a long beak that curved downward. He had on a silver Egyptian headdress and robes made of a shimmering blue fabric. In his right hand, the birdman carried a long silver staff with a round blue gem on the top._

_"Mage Lord Thoth." A surprised Bastet identified._

_"What do you want, old man?" an annoyed Sekhmet demanded to know._

_"I had come to try one more time to talk you out of this little folly of yours." Thoth answered as he walked up to the tank containing the Chimera Stone. "Though I see my efforts were in vain."_

_"I don't see why you're so against this." Sekhmet replied. "I've just created the perfect replacement for that precious Silver Crystal of yours."_

_"The Legendary Silver Crystal is not something that can be duplicated or replaced." Thoth told her._

_"Well then that air headed princess who as its heir shouldn't have killed herself!" Sekhmet argued. "Otherwise we wouldn't have lost the damn thing!"_

_"The Silver Crystal will return when the time comes." Thoth told her. "In the meantime, I suggest you destroy that stone before it brings chaos."_

_"I'm not going to destroy something I've spent months trying to perfect!" Sekhmet told him. "Besides, father approves of what I've just done."_

_"Father really approves of the stone?" a surprised Bastet asked._

_"I'm surprised that King Ra would approve the creation of such a dangerous item." Thoth replied. "I will have to have a word with him on this matter."_

_Before the conversation could continue, Drenos suddenly ran into the lab. "Forgive the intrusion, great ones! But I have important news. We are approaching the evil one!"_

_"I see… so the final battle with the chaos bringer is about to begin." Thoth realized. "We will have to table the matter of the stone for now. But do not think that this conversation will be forgotten, Sekhmet."_

_"Whatever." Sekhmet replied. "Let's just kill that damn snake for now."_

_With that, Bastet left the lab with Sekhmet, Thoth, and Drenos. Ichigo was about to follow, but she suddenly froze when she heard a very irritating sound. Whatever the sound was, it was getting louder by the second. As the noise got louder, Ichigo recognized it as the sound of her alarm clock. That's when she realized that she was dreaming._

* * *

Ichigo awoke and quickly shut off the infernal device that had disturbed her sleep. It took her a moment to shake off the strange dream she had just had. But soon enough, reality came back into focus and she went to the task of preparing for school. After having a full breakfast, Ichigo was out the door. But she couldn't shake the dream from her mind.

_'I don't know what's weirder. Seeing myself as some kind of Egyptian princess, or the fact that Kish was there.'_ Ichigo thought. _'Then again, I think the weirdest part was the Chimera Stone being there. Why the heck would I be dreaming of that after all this time?'_

The sudden ringing of her cell phone interrupted Ichigo's thoughts. Upon looking at the caller ID, the redhead sighed heavily. It was her boss, Ryou Shirogane.

After the third ring, Ichigo finally answered the phone. "What's up, Ryou?"

"We've picked up more Chimera Anima near your location." Ryou answered on the other end of the line. "Masha can lead you to the location. Masaya is already on the way."

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Ichigo assured him before hanging up. "Great! Now I'm going to be late for class!"

Ichigo ducked behind a nearby bush, and with a flash of pink light silently transformed into her Mew Mew form. The small white fur ball that was Ichigo's robotic companion Masha began to lead her to where the Chimera Anima attack was occurring. After a few minutes of jumping on rooftops, Ichigo had finally arrived on site. There she saw three mutated blue iguanas, each one the size of a minivan, wreaking general havoc.

"Stop right there, you freaks!" Ichigo called out as she struck a dramatic pose from the roof. "How dare you cause all this destruction and make innocent people late for school and work? For your evil actions, I will make you pay!"

One of the mutated iguanas responded by launching a prehensile tongue up at Ichigo. The pink-haired cat girl quickly jumped into the air before the tongue could strike, and after flipping through the air delivered a powerful flying kick that knocked the lizard back almost six feet. Soon after, she leapt at the second iguana and struck the beast on the snout with her fist. Just as the third iguana was about to attack from behind, a streak of light shot past and slashed the beast along the side. The light was from a glowing sword wielded by a young man with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a long blue coat. The public had come to know this young warrior as the Blue Knight, but Ichigo knew him as her boyfriend, Masaya Aoyama.

"You okay?" Masaya asked the cat girl.

"I'm fine." Ichigo assured him. "Let's just wrap this up."

Just as the three iguanas recovered, Ichigo silently called for her ring-like weapon and raised it at the beasts. "Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

"Indigo Comet Blade!" Masaya called out as he slashed his sword.

Both attacks sent waves of pink and blue light that hit all three lizards at once. When the energy faded, all three had turned back into normal iguanas. As Masha quickly retrieved the jellyfish-like creatures that had caused the mutation, the civilians present on the scene began taking pictures of Ichigo and Masaya with their phones.

"We sure have been getting a lot of attention lately." Masaya noticed.

"I guess. But because of those darn lizards, I'm going to be late." Ichigo replied.

"Not if I can help it." Masaya told her.

Before Ichigo could respond, Masaya picked her up bridal style and took off into the air. After leaping across a few rooftops, the couple had finally arrived at Daikanyama Junior High. Once near the front gate, Ichigo changed back and Masaya transformed into his dark-haired civilian form.

"Isn't this going to make you late?" Ichigo asked with a somewhat worried expression.

"Don't worry. Our old school actually isn't all that far away." Masaya assured her.

"I wish we still went to the same school." Ichigo admitted.

"I know, but this way you and the others can do a good job of protecting Berry's friends." Masaya pointed out before kissing her on the forehead. "I'll see you at work, okay?"

"Yeah, later." Ichigo replied with a heavy blush.

After the two said their goodbyes, Ichigo went into the building. In moments she had arrived at her homeroom. Waiting for Ichigo were two of her fellow Mew Mews, Mint Aizawa and Berry Shirayuki.

"Hi girls." Ichigo greeted as she sat at her desk. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Actually you just made it." Berry assured her. "I was actually thinking you'd be late too after having to take down those Chimera Anima."

"Masaya carried me here." Ichigo explained. "He's pretty fast at leaping across buildings."

"I guess that explains why your hair looks a little messed up." Berry observed.

"And why you have that goofy grin on your face." Mint added. "Seriously though, how long did that battle of yours take?"

"Oh… I think only a couple of minutes." Ichigo answered as she went over the battle in her mind. "But then those were some pretty weak Chimera Anima."

"I don't know Ichigo. Ever since the Chimera Stone fixed your powers, you've been a whole lot stronger." Mint pointed out. "I don't ever remember you having that kind of power back when Kish and his friends were here causing trouble."

"It's probably just because Masaya's been helping me." Ichigo assumed.

"Well whatever the reason, you getting stronger is a good thing." Berry pointed out. "It means we can keep people a lot safer."

"Yeah. Plus with you and Masaya handling things, the rest of us don't even have to lift a finger." Mint remarked.

"You know Mint, Ryou still has the Chimera Stone. Maybe I should try becoming the Black Mew Mew again." Ichigo teased. "We could do a little sparing with each other. What do you think?"

"Uh, no. I don't think we need to do that." Mint replied. The dark-haired girl went a bit pale at what Ichigo had implied.

Before the conversation could go further, the teacher entered the room. The other students quickly got to their seats as she walked to her desk.

"Class, I'm afraid I have some bad news." The teacher announced. "Due to some important personal matters, I'm afraid that I will be gone for the rest of the year. But there is some good news. While I'm gone, a prominent American scientist and teacher will fill my post. Please give your warmest welcome to Dr. Archibald Trojan."

Walking into the classroom was a bald and somewhat overweight man in his late fifties. He had a bushy grey mustache and a somewhat large nose. His outfit consisted of a white lab coat with a yellow shirt, blue tie, and grey slacks. After exchanging pleasantries with Trojan, Ichigo's normal teacher left the room.

"Good morning, students." Trojan greeted. "As your former teacher just informed you, I am Dr. Archibald Trojan. I realize that this sudden changing of the guard is a great shock to you all. But let me assure you that I will perform my duties as your teacher as best I can."

"He seems okay so far." Berry whispered to Ichigo.

"Yeah." Ichigo whispered back to the blonde. "This whole thing seems a little bit weird though."

* * *

It was a typical afternoon at Café Mew Mew. But while Ichigo and the other Mews performed their normal duties, Ryou and Keiichiro were down in the lab looking at something on the screen of their super computer.

"Are you sure about this Keiichiro?" Ryou asked with a troubled expression.

"I've gone over the data a hundred times." The dark-haired gentlemen told him. "Each of Ichigo's battles shows an increase in power. And her most recent DNA scan shows a change in her wildcat genes."

Ryou sighed heavily and looked over at a darkened corner of the lab. Suspended from a chain inside a glass canister was the Chimera Stone, the source of this recent development.

"And here I thought that damn stone had only stabilized Ichigo's DNA." Ryou spoke. "And now this happens."

"The good news is that there's no sign that she's going to start turning into a housecat like before." Keiichiro informed him. "But one thing's pretty clear Ryou. She's evolving."

"Yeah. But what worries me is what she might be evolving into." The blonde pointed out.

"Hey Ryou!" a voice interrupted. Ryou and Keiichiro turned to see Ichigo walking into the lab with Masaya.

"What do you two want?" Ryou asked.

"Masaya and I were just talking, and we've been wondering why there are still all these rogue Chimera Animas running around." Ichigo explained.

"Oh, that." Ryou replied. "Well we're not sure, but Keiichiro and I think that somehow the things are reproducing. There's no good way to get rid of them all at once."

"Looks like we'll be busy for awhile then." Masaya observed.

"I guess so." Ichigo agreed. "But hey, at least we don't have to deal with some psycho trying to take over the world."

* * *

Trojan entered the dimly lit lab that he had set up in Tokyo not far from the Mew Mews' school. It was a good-sized lab, filled with the most advanced equipment needed to achieve his goals. As Trojan fired up the computers, he also turned on the television set on the wall. The screen was showing a news broadcast showing Ichigo and Masaya taking down the three mutant iguanas. Trojan couldn't help but think about how they would make the perfect subjects to test his experiment.

_"Trojan!"_ a snake-like voice suddenly spoke.

The old scientist turned around to face the wall behind him. In front of that wall was a large red orb on a pedestal. Slithering around inside the orb was a thing that looked like a shadowy black snake with round white eyes.

"How may I serve you, Lord Apep?" Trojan asked the serpent in the orb.

_"I'm growing impatient, Trojan!"_ Apep told him. _"The day of my revival shall sssoon be upon usss. For that day I will need an army if I am to make thisss planet my own."_

"Do not worry, my lord. Very soon I shall have the first of your legion created." Trojan assured him. "It's taken months of gene splicing and genetic testing on one of the mutant creatures that have been plaguing this city, the Chimera Anima. But at last I am ready to produce my first Serpent Anima! All it needs is to be tested to see if it can outperform Tokyo Mew Mew."

_"Then deploy it!"_ Apep ordered. _"We shall sssee how your creation fairsss againssst thisss Tokyo Mew Mew."_

* * *

The day was starting to wind down at Café Mew Mew as Zakuro went out back to take out the trash. As she finished, Zakuro could hear a familiar voice talking nearby. Curious, the purple-haired model followed the voice and saw that it was Mint talking on her cell phone. Zakuro noticed that the dark-haired girl seemed upset.

"Yes dad…" Mint spoke into the phone. "I know dad, but… dad if you'll just listen!" After the next pause, Mint gave a defeated sigh. "Okay dad, I understand. Bye."

"Something wrong Mint?" Zakuro asked, startling the younger girl.

"Oh! Uh, Z-Zakuro!" Mint responded as her face turned red. "I, um, I didn't see you there."

"I didn't mean to scare you." Zakuro replied with her usual emotionless expression. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I… I was just having a conversation with my father." Mint explained.

"So is everything okay with him?" Zakuro asked.

"No… no it's not." Mint answered with sadness in her eyes. "I think… maybe now is the only time I'll have to tell you this. Zakuro… I…"

"There you two are!" a voice interrupted. Zakuro and Mint both looked to see Ryou rushing up to them. "Keiichiro just picked up another Chimera Anima! Ichigo and the others are already on their way."

"Then I guess we better go too." Zakuro decided. "You up for this Mint?"

"Uh… yes." Mint sadly answered. "Yes of course."

* * *

Ichigo, Masaya, and the rest of the Mew Mews arrived on the scene where the monster was attacking. The creature was the size of a semi-truck and had the body of a dog and the head of a snake with pointed dog-like ears. Its eyes were red and its body was covered in black scales. Small fires had already broken out on the scene from the thing's rampage. Ichigo tensed up upon seeing the creature. She could sense something incredibly evil about it, though she couldn't tell what.

"You okay Ichigo?" Masaya asked upon noticing Ichigo's tension.

"This Chimera Anima… it's different somehow." Ichigo answered.

"I'll take care of this!" Pudding declared as she raised her weapon. "Pudding Ring Inferno!"

The young Mew Mew's weapon encased the beast in what looked like a large orange jello mold. But with a twist of its body, the monster freed itself, shattering its prison to bits.

"Hey! What the…?" Pudding exclaimed.

"How could it break out?" an equally surprised Berry wondered.

"We have to stop that thing now!" Mint decided as she raised her small bow and arrow at the creature. "Ribbon Mint Echo!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" Lettuce called out as she sent a torrent of water at the creature.

"Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" Zakuro cried as she swung her purple energy whip.

All three attacks hit the creature in the face, but the thing was completely unharmed. The dog snake opened its mouth and spat out a glob of green slime at Mint, Lettuce, and Zakuro. The three Mews managed to jump out of the way before they could get hit. The glob struck the concrete where the three were standing moments before and melted a large hole into it.

"We're not even making a dent in that thing!" Berry observed.

"Masaya! Berry! Let's end this!" Ichigo decided as she silently called forth her weapon. "Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

"Indigo Comet Blade!" Masaya called with the swing of his sword.

"Ribbon Love Berry Check!" Berry cried out as she shot a blast of red energy from her wand-like weapon.

All three energy blasts his the creature in the side. But while the thing was dazed by the attacks, it quickly recovered from them and continued its rampage.

"No way!" Ichigo exclaimed. "How could that not have stopped it?"

The snake dog creature roared at Ichigo, Masaya, and Berry. The force of the sound blast was so strong that it knocked them into the building behind them. The other four Mew Mews leapt in to attack, but the beast swung its tail and flung them into the building on the opposite side of the street.

_'No… I… can't let that thing win!'_ Ichigo thought as she staggered to her feet. When she looked, she saw the thing towering over Mint, Luttuce, Zakuro and Pudding. _'No… stay away from them! STOP!'_

* * *

Kish leaned against the wall of the silver tomb with his arms crossed. There was very little to do inside the tomb. Tart was taking a nap, while Pie and Montgomery stood at opposite sides of the room, occasionally glaring at one another. Moreau meanwhile was busy studying a line of hieroglyphics on the wall.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Kish impatiently asked.

"Patience, Mr. Kish." Moreau told him. "If we are going to save Ichigo and the rest of the world, we must find that other tomb. The key lies in these hieroglyphs, but first I have to translate them."

Before Kish could argue, the sarcophagus in the center of the chamber began to rumble. The disturbance was loud enough to wake Tart from his nap. Suddenly a burst of golden light shot up from the coffin through the ceiling.

"What the heck was that?" Tart wondered.

"Damn! I was hoping we'd have more time!" Moreau cursed.

"What's going on, human?" Kish asked.

"Bastet's powers are returning to her." Moreau explained. "It's beginning."

* * *

Just as the dog snake creature was about to grab Pudding in its mouth, a ray of golden light shot down from the sky and struck Ichigo, causing the beast to look. The light faded after a moment to reveal that Ichigo's costume had changed. Bands made of gold had replaced the frilly bands on her upper arms, and her furred collar had turned gold as well. Her dark-pink gloves now reached up just below her elbows. Covering the back of her right forearm was a piece of green armor with three gold blades extending from the end. On Ichigo's forehead was a golden tiara with an eye symbol carved on the front.

Masaya regained consciousness and was surprised to see the cat girl's transformation. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked down at him, revealing that her eyes had turned from pink to a striking emerald green. The snake dog roared, regaining Ichigo's attention. With the thing's focus on her, Ichigo dashed out into the street. The beast spat out another acidic glob, but Ichigo jumped into the air before it could hit her and delivered a powerful kick to the thing's snout. The creature was knocked backwards at least twelve feet. By this time, the other Mew Mews had regained consciousness.

"Foul creature of darkness! For your wicked acts, I shall make you pay!" Ichigo declared. The blades extended from the end of her armored gauntlet. "Ribbon… Strawberry Slash!"

With a swing of her arm, Ichigo sent forth a massive blade of pink energy that cut into the ground as it headed for the creature. The beast was struck and roared as it seemed to be torn apart by the attack. When the energy finally faded, the monster had turned into a skinny dog with matted grey fur. A green jellyfish-like creature fluttered down to the ground next to it and burned into a pile of ash. The dog meanwhile ran away yelping.

"Ichigo?" Masaya's voice called again, snapping her out of what seemed like some kind of trance.

Ichigo turned around and saw Masaya and the other Mew Mews looking at her with shocked expressions. She glanced at the window of a building next to her and saw part of the reason why they looked stunned. Her costume had changed, as had her eye color. Thinking back, Ichigo remembered exactly how she defeated the monster, but it was all on instinct.

"Ichigo… what happened to you?" Masaya asked.

"I… don't know." An equally stunned Ichigo answered.

* * *

Trojan looked at the video screen in his lab in disbelief as the surveillance drone he had deployed with the Serpent Anima sent him the images of Ichigo transforming and defeating the creature. It was inconceivable that his creation could lose. Frantically, the scientist began checking the data on his computers.

"This is impossible!" Trojan declared. "I've done countless studies on both Tokyo Mew Mew and the Chimera Anima! My Serpent Anima should've been far stronger than both!"

_"SSSSSAAA HA HA HAAAAA!"_ came a hideous laugh from Apep's orb. _"Ssso, she hasss been reborn."_

"Lord Apep?" Trojan responded.

_"Basssstett!"_ Apep responded. _"She isss the leader of thisss Tokyo Mew Mew. To think that Ra'ssss wretched daughter would return in thisss modern age."_

"So this girl is the reborn daughter of your enemy?" Trojan asked. "Will this cause problems for us?"

_"She may be an enemy, but she isss ssstill a pathetic little girl."_ Apep answered. _"But making her sssssuffer will amussse me. And after thousssandsss of yearsss of being sssealed, I can ussse sssome amusssment."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** It's been a long time since I've written a story like this, so I'm not sure if this chapter is my best work. Anyway, back in the spring of 2005, I did a lot of research into Egyptian mythology during my spare time (though in retrospect, I probably should've used that time to study for my math classes). I was really into the original _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ at the time, so the subject fascinated me. Apep was one of the mythological figures I ended up doing the most research on. At the time I had never even heard of this great serpent that was known as The Enemy of Ra.

I was also really into Tokyo Mew Mew at the time, and somewhere along the line I got the idea that Apep would be an awesome enemy for Ichigo and the other Mew Mews. I really ended up putting a lot of thought into what his character would be like. Especially the way he talked and his distinctive laugh. Had I gotten into fan fiction back then, this probably would've been one of my first stories. But I think sitting on the idea for so long has given me some time to refine it.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. The Ruby Snake

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Ruby Snake

Ichigo and the others went straight back to Café Mew Mew right after the battle with the dog snake monster. Though they were victorious, everyone was quite troubled by how the battle had been won. Ichigo had never before demonstrated such incredible power. The closest she had come was when she had been transformed into the Black Mew Mew. And everyone was starting to wonder if she was transforming into a similar being, or something far worse.

Once everyone had gathered in the café's control center, Ryou began to speak. "Okay, Keiichiro and I were keeping this under wraps until we could figure out what was happening. But I guess there's no point now. We've been analyzing each of Ichigo's battles since the Chimera Stone incident, and they all seemed to indicate one thing. Ichigo's powers were increasing."

"So we weren't all just imagining things." Mint realized. "Ichigo really has been getting stronger."

"But what's causing it?" Lettuce asked. "Does it have something to do with the Chimera Stone?"

"Actually, we think it does." Keiichiro confirmed. "We're not a hundred percent positive on this, but we think Ichigo's been experiencing another side effect from using the stone. We think she's been evolving."

"Evolving?" Ichigo repeated. "How?"

"Before, the two of you said that the stone somehow stabilized Ichigo's DNA." Masaya recalled.

"And we thought it had at the time." Ryou confirmed. "But the data doesn't lie. Slowly Ichigo's been going through some kind of evolutionary process."

"The good news is that the process seems to have peaked." Keiichiro continued. "Our latest scan of Ichigo's DNA shows that it's finally stabilized. And there's no sign of her turning into a housecat anytime soon."

"But what about that new transformation?" Zakuro asked. "Are we sure she's not turning into something like the Black Mew Mew again?"

"Really guys, I'm fine." Ichigo assured them all. "I mean I'll admit that transformation was a little weird. I don't even remember how I pulled it off. But I feel normal. Right now I'm more worried about that Chimera Anima we fought."

"I am too." Berry admitted. "That thing was stronger than anything we've fought before. If Ichigo hadn't used that new power of hers, we'd probably all be dead right now."

"I'm not complaining about Ichigo's new power either." Berry's boyfriend Tasuku admitted. "For all we know, another monster like that one will show up soon."

"We're looking into this new Chimera Anima too." Ryou assured them. "Unfortunately we don't have a lot to analyze since Ichigo's attack destroyed the parasite the created it."

"Well whatever's going on, I think we should call it a night." Ichigo suggested. "I'm pretty beat."

* * *

Trojan starred at the video from Ichigo's battle playing back on the monitors in his lab. He played back certain bits from the battle over and over again, trying to gather as much data as he could. After what seemed like hours, he came to one conclusion. Ichigo's new transformation had noticeably increased her power.

_"Sssso Trojan, are you through with analyzing your little failure?"_ Apep asked.

"I am, Lord Apep." Trojan confirmed. "The pink Mew Mew that you now call Bastet has indeed become more powerful than previous data indicated."

_"Well then, if you're through collecting your findingsss, it'sss time we begin toying with her."_ Apep told him.

"I am not interested in tormenting a young girl, even if she is a Mew Mew." Trojan replied.

_"No, but you interesssted in experimenting."_ Apep pointed out. _"Basssstett isss far more powerful than thessse other Mew Mewsss asss you call them. Imagine if you could duplicate that power."_

"Yes… that would give me what I've been after." Trojan agreed as he thought about it. "Obtaining that kind of power is why I started this project in the first place."

_"Which isss why you will need to collect asss much data on Basssstett asss you can."_ Apep continued. _"And to get the data you need, you will have to push her to her limitsss. I trussstt that you have sssomething that can do that."_

"I do." Trojan confirmed. "As you know, my lord, the U.S. government has been funding this project because they want a way to oppose Tokyo Mew Mew should they somehow become a threat. The Serpent Anima is just one weapon created for that purpose. While researching a way to achieve my true goal, I have devised a way to create beings similar to the Mew Mews using nanotechnology and the DNA of venomous creatures of the animal kingdom. I call this new type of solder, a Mew Slayer."

_"I sssee."_ An intrigued Apep replied. _"And are you able to create one of thessse Mew Ssslayersss of yoursss?"_

"I have already completed a special drone to inject someone with the nanotechnology I've developed. As well as the DNA of the Inland Taipan, a particularly venomous snake." Trojan revealed. "All that's needed now is to pick the right human specimen. I've narrowed it down to ten possible candidates."

_"Then I shall pick the proper ssspeccimen for you to ussse."_ Apep decided.

* * *

The school day began like it normally did for Ichigo. Though when she walked into the classroom that morning she saw that Berry had yet to arrive. Mint was there though, but Ichigo noticed a worried expression on the dark-haired rich girl's face.

"Hi Mint." Ichigo cheerfully greeted, snapping Mint from her thoughts. "Everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Mint assured her.

"You sure?" Ichigo asked. "You look kinda worried about something."

"It's nothing. Really." Mint insisted. "I was just thinking about a conversation I had with my dad yesterday."

"Hi you two." Berry greeted in her usual upbeat manner, interrupting the conversation. "You'll never guess what I overheard in the hall. Our class is getting a new student today."

"Seriously?" Ichigo asked. "First a new teacher and now a new student?"

Before they could talk more, Trojan entered the classroom, prompting everyone to get to their seats. "Good morning class."

"Good morning Dr. Trojan." The students all replied in unison.

"I have a rather unexpected announcement for you all." Trojan began. "Today we are getting a new student from America. Please give your warmest welcome to Ms. Sasha Ruby."

Entering the classroom was a young woman who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. She had fair skin with black hair that went down to her shoulders and dark-brown eyes.

"Good morning everyone." Sasha greeted with a warm smile. "It's nice meeting you all."

"I'm sure we'll all do our best to make Ms. Ruby feel at home here." Trojan continued. "Now then, as soon as Ms. Ruby takes her seat, we can begin the roll call…"

The rest of the morning continued uneventfully, and in a matter of hours the lunch period began. As usual, the Mews all gathered outside to eat. Everyone in the group was there except for Zakuro, who was away on business.

"So Ichigo, I heard your class got a new student this morning." Lettuce spoke.

"Yeah, and she's from America too." Ichigo confirmed. She then glanced and saw Sasha walk by a few feet away. "Hey, how would everyone feel if I invited the new girl over to eat with us?"

"That's a great idea!" Lettuce agreed.

"It would be a good chance for us to get to know her outside of class." Berry concurred.

"Okay, wait right here." Ichigo told them before getting up.

Ichigo dashed off to catch up to Sasha. The dark-haired girl heard her footsteps and turned around to face her.

"Hi there." Ichigo greeted.

"Oh, hello." Sasha greeted back with an indifferent expression.

"I'm Ichigo Momomiya." The redhead informed her. "We're in the same class, remember?"

"I guess you look familiar." Sasha admitted. "What do you want?"

"Well my friends and I are having lunch, and we thought it'd be fun if you joined us." Ichigo explained.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight red. I don't care who you are, and I'm not in this place to make friends." Sasha told her. "The only reason why I'm in this school is because of my mom's job. So do me a favor and buzz off! If you see me out here or in the hall, just stay away."

"Oh… okay." Ichigo replied. "I… guess I'll be going then."

With that, Ichigo walked off. As soon as she sat down and rejoined the other Mews, she gave a heavy sigh.

"Is she not coming?" Lettuce asked with a disappointed look.

"No, and I think we're better off." Ichigo answered. "A block of ice has a warmer personality than that girl."

"She's probably just getting used to this place." Lettuce assumed. "Give her some time. I'm sure she'll warm up before long."

* * *

Sasha sat down under a tree to eat her lunch trying not to think about the unpleasant turn her life had taken. The last thing she wanted to think about was how her mother dragged her half way across the world away from her friends and the place she loved without even consulting her. But of course Sasha's mother never gave a damn about her wishes. Her career had always come first. All Sasha could do was paste on a smile and try to bare it.

The vibrating of her phone distracted Sasha from her thoughts. Looking at the devices tiny screen, Sasha saw that she had gotten a text from her mother. Her mother's message told her that she expected Sasha to do the best possible job she could at her new school. Enraged, Sasha stood up and threw the phone as far as she could.

"Damn!" Sasha cursed. "It's bad enough that I'm even at this damn school! Now she expects me to play the perfect student!"

_"Parentsss can be infuriating, can't they?"_ spoke a snake-like voice.

Startled, Sasha began to look around to see who was talking, but could find no one. "Who's there?"

_"Don't be afraid, my dear. I'm only here to help you."_ The voice assured her. _"My name is Apep."_

"So what, you're like my guardian angel or something?" Sasha asked.

_"Ssssa ha ha ha."_ The voice chuckled. _"Nothing ssso absssurd. But I do have power, power that can change your life. I could sssenccce your anger. Tell me, my dear. What isss it that you desssire?"_

"You mean what do I want right now?" Sasha asked. "Right now I want to burn this whole damn school to the ground."

_"Yesssss. Your anger isss great."_ Apep observed. _"But it ssseemsss that you lack the proper way to expresssss it. What do you ssssay?"_

"Power, huh?" Sasha replied. "I don't know who you are, or where you are, but what the hell? Beats my life as it is now."

_"I wasss hoping you'd sssay that."_ Apep replied.

Suddenly a shadowy black snake crept on Sasha from behind. The serpent began to move its head closer to her neck. At the same time, a small drone hovered down from the side. It fired a beam of red light just as the snake bit down.

* * *

With the afternoon winding down, Ichigo headed for the door of the school. As she walked through the hall alone, she saw Sasha walking up. Ichigo noticed that she somehow seemed paler.

"Hey there, Momomiya wasn't it?" Sasha spoke, causing Ichigo to stop.

"Oh, hi Sasha." Ichigo greeted. "What do you want?"

"Look, sorry about before." Sasha replied. "I've just been in a bad mood all day."

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo told her as a smile came to her face. "First days are usually rough."

"I'd like to do something to make it up to you though." Sasha told her. "You think you could come up to the roof with me?"

"Uh, sure. I guess I can spare a few minutes before I have to get to my job." Ichigo agreed. "But why the roof?"

"You'll see." Sasha replied as her lips curved into a small smirk.

Within moments the two girls were up on the roof of the school. Ichigo couldn't help but feel suspicious about Sasha's motives. There was something about meeting on the roof that seemed a little off.

"So, why are we on the roof?" Ichigo asked.

"I want to show you something and I don't want others to see." Sasha explained as she took a few steps away from her.

"And what's that?" Ichigo asked.

"This!" Sasha answered as she crossed her arms. "Cyber Ruby Metamorphosis!"

Suddenly Sasha was enveloped in a pillar of crimson light. When the light faded, Sasha's hair and eyes had become blood red, and her eyes had become more snake-like. On the side of her left shoulder was what looked like a tattoo of the number, 01. Over her left eye was the lens of a red eyepiece attached to a back earphone-like device over her left ear. Extending from the device was a silver band that extended around the back of the head.

The rest of her outfit changed to a costume similar to that of a Mew Mew. Most of the costume was black with red trim. It had black knee-high boots with red bands at the top, and the boots looked like they were made of snakeskin. She also had on black scaly gloves that stopped just below the elbow, and on her right wrist was a silver bracelet with a cut ruby gemstone on top. On her upper arms were pairs of black leather bands, each with a silver buckle. The front of her torso was covered in black armor with red trim, and extending down from it was a short black skirt. Around Sasha's neck was a black collar with a silver pendant with a small black snake-like symbol on the front.

Before Ichigo could react, Sasha charged in and tried to punch Ichigo in the stomach. At the last second, Ichigo jumped back three feet to avoid the strike.

"Mew Mew Strawberry Metamorphosis!" Ichigo called out. In a flash of pink light, she changed into her normal Mew Mew form.

"Oh great, you're into pink." Sasha sarcastically remarked. "I hate pink?"

"Sasha, what's going on?" Ichigo asked.

"Hey! When I'm like this, call me Mew Slayer Ruby." Sasha told her.

"Mew Slayer?" Ichigo repeated. "What's that mean?"

"The way I was told, I'm a super solder designed to do one thing." Sasha replied. "Kill Mew Mews."

"Well you're sure not going to be doing that!" Ichigo declared.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Sasha told her with a grin.

Suddenly the Mew Slayer charged in and delivered a flying kick to Ichigo. The cat girl managed to recover, but a second later Sasha hit her with a roundhouse kick to the stomach. Followed soon by a right punch to the face. Ichigo was knocked to the ground.

"You can win, kitty cat." Sasha smugly declared as Ichigo struggled to get to her feet. "The bottom line is that I'm stronger, faster, and all around more powerful than you."

"Why… are you doing this?" Ichigo asked as she managed to stand up. "Do you… hate me for some reason?"

"Frankly, I don't really give a rat's ass if you live or die." Sasha admitted. "But this whole Mew Slayer thing is a rush. Before my life sucked but now I'm on top of the world. I'm kind of thinking that once I kill you and those little friends of yours, I may blow this whole school to the ground."

"I won't let you do that, Sasha!" Ichigo told her. "Strawberry Bell Bell!" Her ring-like weapon came to her hand.

"What are you planning to do? Play me a little song with that bell of yours?" Sasha mocked.

"You leave me no choice!" Ichigo told her. "Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

Ichigo fired a blast of pink energy from her weapon. But just as it was about to hit, Sasha calmly raised her right hand in front of her chest. The energy was suddenly sucked inside the gem on her bracelet.

"Wh… what the…?" a stunned Ichigo exclaimed.

"I told you kitty cat, you can't win." Sasha smugly declared before suddenly jumping backwards. "I think it's time we ended this, don't you? Ruby Venom Blaster!"

Appearing in Sasha's right hand was a large silver pistol-like weapon. The end of the gun's barrel was black and shaped like the head of a snake. Sasha took aim at Ichigo and small red crosshairs appeared on the lens of her eyepiece.

_'I have to stop her somehow!'_ Ichigo thought. _'But how can I? She's way too strong!'_

"Sayonara, kitty cat." Sasha told her. "Orochi Eight Shot Strike!"

Sasha fired a beam of crimson energy from her blaster. The beam quickly split into eight separate beams that headed for Ichigo. The end of each beam resembled the head of a snake.

"Mew Mew Ancient Metamorphosis!" Ichigo suddenly called out.

Before the beams could hit. Ichigo became enveloped in a pillar of emerald-colored light, defecting each one. The light cleared and Ichigo had changed into the same form she was in when she defeated the Serpent Anima.

"What the hell?" Sasha exclaimed.

"How dare you attack your fellow human beings for your own amusement?" Ichigo scolded. "For your evil actions, I will make you pay!"

"As if!" Sasha scoffed. "Snake Venom Shot!"

With that, Sasha fired a single beam from her blaster. But Ichigo quickly dodged the attack, charged in, and delivered a powerful kick to Sasha's right side. Before the Mew Slayer could recover, Ichigo delivered a powerful left punch to her jaw that sent her into the air.

With Sasha still airborne, the blades from Ichigo's armored gauntlet extended. "Ribbon Strawberry Slash!"

Ichigo swung her right arm and hit Sasha with a blade of pink energy. Sasha cried out, as the blade almost seemed to cut her apart. When the attack ended, Sasha dropped back to the roof. After a moment she staggered back to her feet. Her body was giving off sparks of red electricity.

"Don't think this is over, kitty cat." Sasha told her before vanishing in a flash of red light.

With her opponent gone, Ichigo changed back to her civilian form. She breathed a sigh of relief, but was very unsettled by what had just happened.

_'A soldier designed to kill Mew Mews?'_ Ichigo thought, remembering what Sasha had told her. _'Who could've created such a thing? Are there going to be others like her?'_

_"SSSSSAAA HA HA HAA!"_ came a hideous snake-like laugh. Ichigo suddenly felt herself becoming very nauseous. _"An excccellent performanccce, Basssstett. I expected nothing lesssss from you."_

"Who's there?" a frightened Ichigo asked. "Who are you?"

_"Ah, I sssee. Ssso you have not regained the memoriesss of your former life."_ The voice observed. _"I've gone by ssso many namesss over the yearsss, the Ssserpent from the Nile, the Eater-up of Sssoulsss, the God of the Black Sssun, and of courssse the Enemy of Ra. The Greeksss called me Apophis, but you may call me… Apep."_

"Apep?" Ichigo repeated. "So… did you make Sasha like that?"

_"She isss but the firssst of many asssasssinsss I shall send after you."_ Apep revealed.

"So why are you coming after me?" Ichigo asked.

_"Mainly for my own amusssement."_ Apep answered. _"I've been ssso bored for the lassstt few thousssand yearsss."_

"Well whatever you're up to, my friends and I will stop you!" Ichigo declared.

_"Your friendsss, you sssay?"_ Apep replied with a sinister chuckle. _"I don't think we'll be involving them. That would ruin our little game. If you tell anyone, even your freindsss of what hasss just transsspired here, I shall sssend a legion of creaturesss like the one you faccced yesterday to dessstroy this ssschool and all you care about. Not to mention my Mew Ssslayersss."_

A chill went down Ichigo's spine at the thought of an army of Serpent Anima. It was a miracle that she and the others were able to defeat the first one. And the prospect of facing an army of those things along with others like Sasha was not a battle Ichigo wanted to happen. Plus there was something about Apep himself that frightened Ichigo to her core.

"There you are Ichigo!" a voice suddenly spoke. Ichigo looked to see Lettuce walking towards her. "The others and I have been looking for you. What are you doing up here?"

_"Remember my warning, Basssstett."_ Apep told her. _"I'll be watching."_

"Lettuce, did you hear that?" Ichigo asked.

"Hear what?" Lettuce replied. "Is something wrong, Ichigo?"

"Uh… never mind." Ichigo told her.

"…Well, come on. We don't want to keep the others waiting." Lettuce reminded her.

"Yeah… right." Ichigo agreed.

With that, Ichigo and Lettuce left the roof. As they walked down the stairs, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't starting to lose her mind.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I really had to do a lot of research before getting this story started. Not only did I have to brush up a little on my Egyptian mythology, I had to look up animals to use for the Mew Slayers' powers. I decided to go with venomous animals rather than endangered ones. It took me a little bit of digging to which snake was one of the most poisonous.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	4. Mint's Suitor

**Author's Note:** I've decided that this story and _The Black Mew Mew_ are both going to be part of a project I'm calling the Moon and Cat series. The details are on my profile, along with a small timeline of stories that I hope to expand over time.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

* * *

Chapter 3: Mint's Suitor

It was a typical afternoon at Café Mew Mew. As usual, Lettuce was breaking things and Pudding was performing her usual circus routine for the customers that would often cause more collateral damage for Ichigo and Masaya to clean up. Yet despite the calm, Ichigo was quite troubled by her encounter with Sasha earlier that afternoon. Not to mention her little chat with Apep. What troubled Ichigo most about Apep was that it seemed like she was the only one who could hear him.

_'I'm not going crazy, am I?'_ Ichigo thought. _'He called me Bastet. That was the name of that double of mine from that dream I had. So what if this is all in my head? Then again, I'm sure that what happened with Sasha was real.'_

"Ichigo?" Masaya spoke from behind, shaking the redhead from her thoughts. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Ichigo assured him. "Just thinking about my next homework assignment. That new teacher of mine is nice, but he sure likes to pile on the work."

"Well okay, if that's all." Masaya replied.

_'I can't tell anyone right now. Not even Masaya.'_ Ichigo mentally decided. _'For one thing they'd probably think I was going nuts. Everyone's already a little worried about me because of these new powers I have. Plus… if Apep actually is real… I just don't think I can take the chance.'_

"There you guys are." A voice interrupted. Masaya and Ichigo looked and saw that it was Mint. "When you two have a minute, could you join the rest of us down in the control room?"

"Sure Mint." Ichigo agreed. "What's this about?"

"I'll explain everything when we're all gathered." Mint answered before walking off.

"I wonder what that's about?" Masaya asked.

"I'm not sure. But she's been acting a little off ever since that battle yesterday." Ichigo recalled. "I sure hope everything's okay."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Masaya pointed out.

Within moments, the couple went down to the control room beneath the café. Everyone else had already gathered, everyone except for Zakuro. She was still away on business as far as everyone knew.

With everyone assembled, Mint stepped up to speak. "Thank you all for coming down here."

"Why so formal Mint? What's up?" Tasuku asked.

"I have a big favor to ask of all of you." Mint explained. "My father is holding a big party tonight at my place. I'd understand if all of you already have plans for tonight, but I'd really appreciate it if you all came tonight as my guests."

"That's it?" Ryou asked with a raised eyebrow. "You just wanted to invite us to some party?"

"This party… isn't something that I'm particularly looking forward to." Mint replied. "The fact is that I could use all of you there for support."

"I'd be happy to come to your party, Mint." Lettuce agreed.

"Me too. Sounds like fun." Pudding added.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt if I blew off homework for a night." Ichigo decided. "I'd be glad to come."

"Me too." Masaya added.

"Tasuku and I are in too." Berry agreed.

"Well Ryou?" Keiichiro asked.

"Sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt if we took a night off." Ryou agreed.

"Thank you all. I'll see you later tonight." Mint told them before she started to walk off.

"So is Zakuro going to be at the party too?" Ichigo asked.

Mint froze in mid-step upon hearing Ichigo's question. "Actually, no. It's… it's better if she didn't come. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go get ready."

With that, Mint quickly left the room. As she left, Ichgio thought she could hear her starting to cry.

* * *

Sasha stormed into Trojan's lab with her hands balled into fists at her side. In a fit of rage, she knocked a large empty beaker off of a nearby table. It shattered to bits as soon as it hit the floor.

"I would prefer you not break any of my equipment, young lady." Trojan told her, not once taking his eyes off his video screens.

"That damn cat girl beat the living crap out of me!" Sasha reminded him.

"I'm well aware of that." Trojan replied. "At the very least, this has been a good test of the nano machines that were injected into your body. They seem to have done an excellent job of repairing the damage you took."

"I thought I was supposed to be stronger than those Tokyo Mew Mew girls!" Sasha pointed out.

"Stronger than an ordinary Mew Mew, yes. But as the data from your scouting device confirms, Ichigo Momomiya is no ordinary Mew Mew." Trojan informed her as he continued looking at the recording of the battle taken by Sasha's eyepiece. "She's quite the remarkable specimen."

"Yeah? Well how the hell am I supposed to beat her then?" Sasha asked.

_"Your anger isss unterssstandable, my dear Sssasha."_ Apep spoke from the red sphere in the lab. _"But I remind you that I don't want Basssstett killed off right away. That would ssspoil my fun. Trojan, are you able to make another Mew Ssslayer?"_

"The drone has already been prepared." Trojan answered. "The DNA used this time is that of the black widow spider. I've also compiled a list of compatible candidates."

_"Then I shall pick the right one to ussse."_ Apep decided.

* * *

Ichigo and the others arrived at the Aizawa mansion dressed in their finest attire. The massive estate had already been packed with several party guests, all of them mingling with one another over glasses of champagne. All of the other guests were of the rich upper crust, which made Ichigo and the others feel a little out of place.

"Wow! This is probably the fanciest party I've ever been to." Berry declared.

"I've been to a few of these myself, and I'm still not use to them." Ichigo admitted.

"There you all are." A familiar voice spoke. Ichigo and the others looked and saw Mint approaching them in a sparkling blue dress. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't show up."

"Sorry it took us a little bit to get here." Ichigo told her.

"So what's this party all about?" Masaya asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Mint answered. "In the meantime, please make yourselves at home. And Pudding, please try not to make a scene this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the youngest of the Mew Mews responded.

"Well there you are Mint!" a voice interrupted. "I've been looking all over for you."

Walking up to the group was a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, with fair skin, blonde hair, and dark blue eyes like sapphires. Her hair was arranged in an elegant fashion, with a white flower over her left ear. She had on a white dress with a gold necklace that had a sapphire gem hanging from it.

"Oh… hello Colette." Mint greeted.

"It's been ages since we last saw each other." The girl named Colette replied. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, I suppose." Mint answered. "You?"

"Oh, I'm as fabulous as always." Colette replied. "You know I heard the most devilish rumor about you not long ago. I heard that you were working in some dirty little café here in Tokyo. Can you possibly imagine?"

"There's nothing wrong with good honest work, you know." A somewhat offended Mint told her.

"Dear me, don't tell me it's true!" Colette responded with a shocked expression. "Have your parents been threatening to cut you off? Believe me, I've been in the same boat about a hundred times. But that's no reason to degrade yourself."

"Hey Mint, who's your friend?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh… oh my." Colette spoke upon noticing Ichigo and the others. "Mint, do you know this… rabble?"

Mint breathed a heavy sigh. "Everyone, this is an old acquaintance of mine, Colette Opal."

"Charmed." Colette responded. "So… I'm guessing you're dear Mint's coworkers that café. You all seem common enough."

"Hi there." Ryou cut in. "I'm Min't boss, Ryou Shirogane. Maybe you're heard of my family?"

"Oh… come to think of, I have." Colette recalled. "Of course from what I've heard, the last son of the Shirogane family was said to be a little eccentric. Of course you don't seem all that odd to me."

"Thanks." Ryou replied with a very insincere smile.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, there are a few people here I still haven't said hello to." Colette told them. "Mint, we really should meet again sometime soon. Ta for now."

With that, Colette quickly but calmly walked off. Ichigo and the others stood there with their mouths hanging open.

"…Wow!" Ichigo finally spoke. "Mint, is that girl actually a friend of yours?"

"I wouldn't exactly call her a friend." Mint replied as she crossed her arms. "We only know each other because my father and hers have been business associates for years. Quite frankly, I've always thought of Colette as a shallow elitist."

"Even _you_ think she's a snob?" a stunned Tasuku asked.

"Oh please. I'll admit that I've been a little stuck-up in the past, but I've never been as bad as Colette." Mint responded.

"Well, I guess it's good that Zakuro isn't here, in a way." Berry remarked. "At least she avoided being insulted like the rest of us."

"What about me being insulted?" a very familiar voice asked.

Everyone looked and saw Zakuro walking towards them. She had on a sparkling gold strapless dress that seemed to magnify her already dazzling beauty.

Mint's face went pale upon seeing Zakuro. "Uh… Z-Zakuro! What on earth are you doing here?"

"A friend who's here invited me along." The model explained. "I figured I might run into you guys here."

"Mint, is something wrong?" Lettuce asked, noticing the rich girl's panicked expression.

Before Mint could answer, the party was silenced by the sound of someone tapping a crystal wine glass. A spotlight came down in the center of the room. Standing under it was a distinguished-looking gentleman with dark hair and a mustache, wearing a black tuxedo.

"That's Mint's father." Ryou identified.

"Good evening, everyone." Mr. Aizawa greeted. "I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. This is indeed a very special occasion. Mint, my dear, will you please come here so everyone can see you?"

Almost mechanically, Mint began walking to the center of the room. A forced smile appeared on her face as she joined her father under the spotlight.

"Now then, I think there's someone who's been dying to see you, Mint." Mr. Aizawa continued. "Everyone, I'd like you all to give a very warm welcome to my daughter's fiancé, Koji Takada."

Ichigo and the others were stunned by this little announcement. Meanwhile, walking into the center of the room was a young man who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. He had short very dark-brown hair and hazel eyes. His outfit consisted of a white suit with black shoes and a red tie.

"It's lovely seeing you again, Mint." Koji greeted before kissing the back of her hand. "It's been far too long."

"Uh… yes." Mint replied, still with a forced smile on her face. "You look well, Koji."

"Koji has finally finished his studies overseas and has decided to come home." Mr. Aizawa revealed. "Of course his wedding to my daughter is still quite a few years off. But this will give Mint and Koji the chance to get to know one another better before the time finally comes. So for now, please enjoys yourselves and join me in welcoming Koji home."

As most of the room applauded, Zakuro silently stormed off. Ichigo and the others couldn't help but noticed that Zakuro seemed somehow angered by this development.

"So, it's finally happened." A familiar voice observed. Ichigo and the others looked to see Colette standing near them.

"So you knew about this?" Masaya asked.

"Oh yes." Colette confirmed. "This little arrangement has been in place since dear Mint was five. Her father and Koji's are business associates. Once this marriage happens, it will mean that one family shall have two companies. It's really more of a merger, when you think about it."

"So wait, you're saying that Mint's going to end up marrying this guy for her family's company?" a stunned Ichigo realized.

"This is one of the little crosses that people of our status have to bare every now and than." Colette answered. "I wouldn't expect you commoners to understand."

Before a debate could break out, Mint suddenly walked up with Koji at her side. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Koji, my… boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you all." Koji greeted.

As Ryou shook Koji's hand, Ichigo saw the smile still plastered on Mint's face. She could also see the sadness in Mint's eyes. It looked as though it was taking all her will not to break down in tears.

* * *

Colette returned to her family's vacation home on the outskirts of Tokyo. It was not as large a mansion as her family home in Paris, but it was still quite vast, and also quite empty. With the acceptation of the housekeeping staff, Colette was very much alone in that mansion. Awaiting Colette in the main hall was an older man with grey hair wearing a black tuxedo. This man was the head butler who served at the guest mansion, Jarvis.

"Good evening, Ms. Colette." Jarvis greeted with a bow. "I trust that the party at the Aizawa household was enjoyable."

"Not the most fun I've ever had, but certainly not the worst party I've been to." Colette answered as she walked in. "Have you heard from my parents?"

"I have, Ms." Jarvis confirmed. "I'm afraid that they will be unable to come for your birthday this year."

A frown began to form on Colette's face. "I see… well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That will be all for tonight, Jarvis."

"Yes Ms." Jarvis replied with a bow before walking off.

Calmly, Colette walked upstairs to her room. Once inside, she quietly shut the door and locked it behind her. Colettle looked and saw a picture of her five-year-old self with her parents sitting on the dresser. The smiling faces frozen forever in that frame caused her anger to boil over. In a fit of rage, she stormed over and threw the picture into the nearby wall. The gold frame and glass shattered to bits as it hit.

"Damn it!" Colette cursed, almost shouting. "They never have time for me anymore. It's like I don't even exist."

_"I sssympathize with you, my dear."_ A snake-like voice suddenly spoke, starling Colette. _"It'sss interesssting how humansss will often forget about their own offssspring when pursssuing their own goalsss."_

"Who's there?" Colette demanded to know. "I warn you, this place has the best security guards money can buy!"

_"Now, now, there'sss no need to be afraid."_ The serpent assured her. _"I am Apep, and I have come to help you."_

"What possible help could you offer me?" Colette asked.

_"I could sssenssse your anger and bitternessss."_ Apep explained. _"You ssseek to fill a void in yourssself. I can help you fill that void. I can give you power that can change your life, power that can help you reshape the world."_

"Change my life, huh?" Colette repeated. "What's the catch?"

_"Now what makesss you think there'sss a catch?"_ Apep innocently asked.

"Well you're a disembodied voice, for one thing." Colette pointed out. "And a creepy-sounding one, at that. How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?"

_"It'sss no trick, I assure you."_ Apep insisted. _"But if you wish, I can leave. Then you can ssspend the ressst of your life trying to fill the void within you. I can only imagine the dessspair you would sssuffer."_

"Now just wait, I didn't say no." Colette told him. "It's just… I'm not sure about this. I mean this is all rather sudden."

_"You've got nothing to loossse."_ Apep pointed out. _"All you have now isss an empty mansion and worthlessss richesss that can never buy what you truly desssire."_

"Yeah… you have a point there." Colette agreed. "Okay then, I'll take this power of yours."

_"I had a feeling you'd sssay that."_ Apep replied.

Suddenly a shadowy snake appeared behind Colette and closer to her neck. At the same time, a drone hovered right outside the room's large open window and took aim.

* * *

Ichigo sat in her room, trying to do her homework. But she was finding it very hard to concentrate. Even the problem with Apep and Sasha was far from her mind. Ichigo's main concern at that moment was what happened at Mint's party the night before.

_'I can't believe Mint's already engaged.'_ Ichigo thought. _'And to someone she doesn't even love. She seemed really upset after her father made that announcement. What I can't quite figure out is why she didn't seem to want Zakuro there. Unless… oh god! Is Mint… in love with Zakuro? I mean I know she's always admired Zakuro, but… could she really be that into her? And what would Zakuro think?'_

Ichigo was stirred from her thoughts by the ringing of her cell phone. Welcoming the much-needed distraction, Ichigo picked it up. The caller ID told her it was Ryou.

"What's up, Ryou?" Ichigo asked into the phone.

"Another Chimera Anima has just popped up." Ryou's voice answered. "And it looks like it's the one you and the others fought two days ago."

A chill went down Ichigo's spine. The implication that the creature was like the dog snake she and the others fought earlier made Ichigo wonder if Apep was behind the attack.

"The others are already trying to fight it off, but it's giving them a lot of trouble." Ryou continued. "We need you there right away!"

"I'm on it!" Ichigo told him before hanging up.

In moments, Ichigo jumped out the window and silently transformed into her normal Mew Mew form. Masha led the way as Ichigo jumped between rooftops. But along the way a fast moving figure suddenly tackled her. Ichgio quickly recovered and saw Sasha standing but a few feet away in her Mew Slayer form.

"Hey there, kitty cat." Sasha greeted with a sinister grin. "Ready for Round Two?"

"I don't have time for this, Sasha!" Ichigo told her.

"Well you better make time, kitty. Because you're not going anywhere until we settle this." Sasha declared.

"Fine then." Ichigo agreed. "I'll make this as quick as possible. Mew Mew Ancient Metamorphosis!"

With that, Ichigo became enveloped in a pillar of emerald light. In moments that light faded to reveal the cat girl in her Ancient form.

"Going for your secret weapon right off the bat, huh?" Sasha observed. "Not a bad move. But this time I've got an ace in the hole."

"I assume that's my cue." A familiar voice spoke. Ichigo turner her head to see Colette climbing onto the roof they were on.

"You're that girl from the party at Mint's!" Ichigo recalled. "Colette, right?"

"You remember me. I'm flattered." Colette responded. "But then I always have left an impression on the commoners."

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked her.

"I think that should be pretty obvious." Colette answered. "Cyber Opal Metamorphosis!"

Colette became enveloped in a pillar of white energy. When the energy faded, Colette's hair had turned white and her eyes had become a very pale blue. She had on a black costume with white trim, similar to the costume that Sasha was wearing. There were some differences though. The lens of her eyepiece was blue, and her short skirt had a distinct white spider web pattern. On her back were four black mechanical limbs similar to the legs of a spider. On the bear skin of her chest right above where her costume began were red marks in the form of the number, 02.

"Wait, so… you're like Sasha?" a stunned Ichigo realized.

"You may address me as Mew Slayer Opal." Colette replied. "Now then… prepare to die!"

Colette charged at Ichigo and slashed at her with her right upper mechanical arm. Ichigo jumped back and dodged the attack, only to be hit in the leg by a small energy blast from Sasha's gun.

With Ichigo stunned, Colette took the opportunity and charged in again. "Spider Bite Sting!"

The spider girl's four mechanical legs swung forward and struck Ichigo as if biting down, like the fangs of a large mouth. Ichigo was knocked back, but managed to stay on her feet. Yet she quickly noticed that something was wrong.

_'I… can't seem to move right!'_ Ichigo mentally realized. _'It's like my body's stiffening up. What's going on?'_

"Oh dear, seemed you're starting to feel the effects of the paralytic venom from my little sting." Colette observed. "Not so agile now, are we?"

"Not bad, rich girl." Sasha praised.

"Wait until you see this." Colette replied. "Silk Bondage!"

Beams of white light formed between the tips of Colette's mechanical arms and quickly took the shape of a spider web. The spider girl fired the web at Ichigo. When it struck, the energy web changed into black silk-like threads that bound Ichigo's arms to her sides.

"Now she's completely immobilized." Colette continued. "Killing her should be no problem now."

"This is gonna be fun." Sasha declared as she aim her gun at the paralyzed Ichigo.

"Remember not to kill her right away." Colette told her. "Lord Apep wanted her to suffer first."

Sasha grinned and fired a single shot from her gun. Ichigo cried out in pain as the blast hit her chest. The snake girl fired again, hitting the same spot. The second strike brought Ichigo to her knees.

Colette bright the back of her right hand to her left cheek and began to laugh. "And to think I doubted Lord Apep when he offered me this wonderful power. This is so much fun!"

"I'm having a pretty good time too." Sasha admitted. "But when can we finally put her out of her misery?"

"When the new Serpent Anima kills the other Mew Mews." Colette answered. "Lord Apep wants our feline friend to feel the agony of not being able to save her friends when they needed her most."

Ichigo's eyes went wide with horror. She realized that as she was on her knees, Masaya and the other Mews were struggling to stay alive.

"It's actually rather disappointing, really." Colette remarked. "I was actually rather looking forward to making those other Mew Mews suffer."

"Hey, don't worry. We can take it out on my school later." Sasha pointed out.

"Not to mention the rest of the world." Colette added.

"I… don't have…" Ichigo began to speak as she started to stand up again. "TIME FOR THIS!"

Ichigo cried out and was suddenly enveloped in another pillar of emerald light. The light faded and Ichigo was fully on her feet breathing heavily. The silk threads that had bound her were no more.

"Goodness!" a stunned Colette exclaimed.

"Ribbon…" an angry Ichigo began as she raised her gauntlet arm. "Strawberry Slash!"

With a swing of her arm, Ichigo sent a blade of pink energy that struck both Mew Slayers. Sasha and Colette cried out, as the blade almost seemed to cut them to shreds. When the attack finally ended, the two Mew Slayers were still on standing, breathing heavily. Their bodies both giving off electrical sparks.

"Damn!" Sasha cursed. "Looks like we'll have to call it a day."

"It seems so." Colette agreed before turning back to Ichigo. "Don't think this is over, commoner!"

With that, Sasha and Colette both vanished in flashes of red and white light. Ichigo feel back to her knees, still trying to catch her breath.

_'Man! That really wiped me out.'_ Ichigo thought. _'But at least I can move again.'_

Masha suddenly flew down in front of Ichigo's face. The little white puffball began to tweet frantically.

_'That's right. The others are still in trouble.'_ Ichigo realized as she stood back up. _'I have to get to them, quickly!'_

* * *

Masaya and Berry stood together against a large pig-like creature the size of a truck. While its body was like that of a pig, its head looked more like a snake with red eyes. Its entire hide was covered in brown scales. The other four Mew Mews had already been knocked out cold by the creature. Both Berry and Masaya were barely holding out against the thing. Neither of them was sure if they could fight much longer.

Suddenly Ichigo leapt in from above and delivered a powerful flying kick that knocked the snake pig back at least ten feet. The cat girl flipped back and landed in front of Masaya and Berry. The blades from her gauntlet extended.

"This ends now!" Ichigo declared. "Ribbon Strawberry Slash!"

With a swing of her arm, Ichigo sent forth another blade of pink light. The snake pig squealed as the attack seemed to tear it apart. When the attack ended, the monster had turned into a normal pig. The parasitic creature that had transformed it fluttered to the ground dead and burned into a pile of ashes.

Ichigo turned back to Masaya and Berry. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine." Masaya assured her. "Glad you finally made it."

"Hey! You figured out how to activate that new transformation of yours." Berry observed.

"Oh, yeah. It just sort of came to me." Ichigo replied.

"There you are, Ichigo!" Mint's voice cut in. The other Mew Mews had since regained consciousness and were coming over.

"Sorry I'm late." Ichigo told them. "It took me a little longer than I thought to get here."

"I guess that explains why you look so worn out." Lettuce observed.

"You sure you're okay?" Masaya asked her.

"Perfectly fine." Ichigo assured him with a big smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Let's all head back to the café." Berry suggested. "I'm sure we could all use a little break after this."

* * *

Ichigo walked into class feeling more exhausted than usual. She was still feeling the effects from her battle with Sasha and Colette the day before. As soon as she entered the room, Ichigo noticed the depressed expression on Mint's face. It was clear that the return of her suitor was still heavy on her mind. They had avoided talking about the subject the evening before at the café, but it had been clear that Mint had been think about the situation the entire time there too. It didn't help matters that Zakuro had left to go somewhere else right after the battle.

"Hey Mint." Ichigo greeted, getting the rich girl's attention. "How you holding up?"

"I wasn't hurt that badly during the fight with that pig thing." Mint told her.

"I don't think that's what Ichigo was talking about." Berry interrupted. "We've all been kind of worried about you Mint. Ever since that party…"

"Look you two," Mint began, cutting Berry off, "thanks for worrying about me, but I'd just rather not talk about this! Okay?"

Both Ichigo and Berry remained silent and sat down at their desks. It was clear that they weren't going to get Mint to talk.

Trojan entered the classroom and the other students quickly sat down. "Class, we have another student joining us today. Please give your warmest welcome to Ms. Colette Opal."

Colette walked into the room and turned to face the class. "Hello to you all. I'm sure we're going to have ever so much fun together."

"What's the snobby girl from Mint's party doing here?" Berry quietly wondered.

Mint breathed a heavy sigh. "Great! Just when I thought my life couldn't get any worse."

"Tell me about it." Ichigo agreed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** One of the things that really got me stuck on this story for a long time was how to do the Mint and Zakuro storyline. I had no clue what to do for that part, until I read a little bit of yuri manga that I had gotten for Christmas. Then it hit me. What if a guy somehow came between Mint and Zakuro? After that, it all started falling into place. Of course I was still stuck on parts of the main plot at the time, so that caused even more delays.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	5. Legends of the Gods

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

* * *

Chapter 4: Legends of the Gods

It was late in the evening as Sasha and Colette walked into Trojan's lab. The doctor's eyes were glued to his video screens, as they played back footage from the Mew Slayers' battle with Ichigo the day before. Once again, Sasha and Colette saw Ichigo recover from their assault and blast them with a powerful blade of energy. To the two girls, those images were simply an agonizing reminder of their most recent defeat. But Trojan looked at the images like they somehow held the secrets of the universe.

"Honestly Dr. Trojan, must you keep watching that dreadful fiasco over and over?" Colette asked. "It's only rubbing salt in our wounds."

"Failure, while quite bitter, can also give us valuable insights, Ms. Colette." Trojan pointed out. "And what I've learned from your most recent failure is that Mew Ichigo's regenerative powers are beyond belief. In an instant she managed to recover from your paralytic toxin and Ms. Sasha's venom blasts. She's proving to be quite the magnificent specimen."

"Well then, I'm so glad that our pain and suffering could help you." Colette sarcastically remarked.

"If I can replicate this kind of regenerative power, I can finally achieve my ultimate goal." Trojan continued, ignoring Colette's comment.

"Yeah? Well clearly, having the rich girl here as my only backup isn't enough." Sasha pointed out.

_"I couldn't agree with you more, my dear Sssasha."_ Apep suddenly spoke. _"Trojan, I trussst you are able to create yet another Mew Ssslayer."_

"I am, Lord Apep." Trojan assured him. "The newest drone has been loaded with the DNA of a box jellyfish, one of the most venomous creatures in the ocean. And I already have a list of possible candidates."

_"Then I shall pick the one mossst worthy."_ Apep told him.

* * *

It was the middle of another day as Ichigo headed for the school library. Since her recent battle with Sasha and Colette, Ichigo had decided that there wasn't much she could do about Mint's situation at the moment. So instead she decided to focus on the new enemy that had emerged. One thing that had been sticking with Ichigo was the strange dream she had a few nights back of herself as what appeared to be an Ancient Egyptian princess named Bastet. Since Apep had also been calling her by that name, Ichigo felt as if the dream might be a clue.

Ichigo entered the library and walked up to the front desk. Sitting at the desk was another student who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. She had silver hair that went down a little past her shoulders, and grey eyes that were behind a pair of glasses with square frames.

"Excuse me," Ichigo spoke, drawing the attendant's attention away from the paper she was reading, "do we have any books of Ancient Egypt?"

"Are you looking for something specific?" the silver haired girl asked.

"Um, I'm looking for stuff about someone named Bastet." Ichigo answered. "I think she was a princess or something."

"Bastet was a goddess from Egyptian mythology." The attendant coldly informed her. "I'm a little surprised that you wouldn't know about that. It's fairly common knowledge."

"Oh." Ichigo replied. "Well, do we have anything on this goddess then?"

"I believe we have a book that has the information you're seeking." The attendant answered with an emotionless expression as she quickly consulted the computer on the desk. "Please wait one moment."

With that, the silver haired girl got up and walked off towards another part of the library. In a few moments, she returned carrying a large thick book with a blue leather cover.

"This book is the most comprehensive text we have on the mythology of Ancient Egypt." The silver haired girl told Ichigo. "Do you wish to check it out?"

"That'd be great." Ichigo agreed.

"Please show me your student ID then." The attendant requested.

"Sure." Ichigo replied as she handed over her ID card. "I don't think I've seen you around here much. I'm Ichigo Momomiya."

"Alyssa Garnet." The silver haired girl replied as she tapped a few things into the computer.

"So did you just recently transfer over?" Ichigo asked.

"I have been attending this academy for approximately five months now." Alyssa answered. "I'm sure the reason you haven't seen me around campus is because I am far too busy to socialize."

"Oh… well, if you ever want someone to hang out with…" Ichigo began to offer.

"That will not be necessary." Alyssa told her as she handed back the ID card. "The book will be due back here two weeks from today. You will be of course penalized if it is late."

"Oh… yeah, got it." Ichigo responded. "Well… see you around, I guess."

Ichigo left the library, carrying the large book under her right arm. She had only gotten five steps away from the library door when she ran into Lettuce.

"Oh. Hi Ichigo." Lettuce greeted with her usual smile.

"Hey Lettuce." Ichigo greeted back. "What brings you down this way?"

"I was just heading to the library to find a book." Lettuce explained. "Looks like you just came from there."

"Yeah. There was something I wanted to look up." Ichigo confirmed. "Say, do you know anything about the girl running the library desk?"

"You mean Ms. Garnet?" Lettuce asked. "I've bumped into her a few times. She's actually one of the smartest girls at this school."

"Well she may be smart, but she didn't seem all that friendly to me." Ichigo noted.

"I've noticed that too." Lettuce agreed. "I've tried talking to her a few times, but she seems to like to keep to herself. But I'm sure she'd open up to us if we keep trying."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." Ichigo agreed. "Well, I'll see you at the café later."

"Later." Lettuce replied before walking off.

A few moments later, Ichigo went out onto the school grounds and sat down under a tree to study her book. The table of contents conveniently listed sections on specific Egyptian gods. She also noticed a section on Apep. Immediately the redhead turned to that page. The information she found out was quite troubling.

According to the myths, Apep was known as a being pf pure chaos and the arch nemesis of the sun god, Ra. He was usually depicted as a gigantic black snake or sea serpent that would attack Ra's ship as it made its daily trip across the sky. Usually Ra and his forces were victorious in slaying the wicked serpent. But as Apep lived in the underworld, he would return the following day to attack again. Ichigo hoped very much that what she had just read was mostly myth.

Ichigo then turned to the section on Bastet. According to the text, Bastet was goddess often depicted as a woman with the head of a housecat. She was also the daughter of Ra, as well as a great protector deity. The one bit of information about Bastet that troubled Ichigo a bit was that the cat goddess was known as one of the gods that would slay Apep. Which seemed to explain why the dark serpent seemed to regard her as an enemy.

_'Well, I guess me being part cat could explain why Apep would see me as Bastet.'_ Ichigo thought. _'But then… that dream I had a few nights ago. I mean, is it possible that I'm…? No, it can't be.'_

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ichigo decided to look up one more Egyptian deity in the book. Another goddess that was also present in her dream, Sekhmet. According to the book, Sekhmet was a goddess of war and healing depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness. Like Bastet, Sekhmet was also one of Ra's daughters, and shared Bastet's title as the Eye of Ra.

_'In that dream, Sekhmet was the older sister of that other me… of Bastet.'_ Ichigo recalled. _'She was also the one that created the Chimera Stone. What does this all mean? How much of this stuff is actually myth? I want to believe that the dream I had was just a dream… but I'm not really sure anymore.'_

Deciding that she had learned enough, Ichigo slammed the book shut and got up. She looked at her watch and began walking towards the school.

* * *

Alyssa sat across the dinner table from her father, a man in his mid forties with silver hair and a mustache, wearing a grey suit with a black tie. The table the two of them sat at was large enough to seat eight people, yet it was only the two of them, as it was every evening. And during each of those dinners, Alyssa and her father would say very little to one another. To say that Alyssa and her father were not close would be an understatement. He had been very cold and distant to her ever since her mother died ten years before.

"Father… I just found out this afternoon that I'll be making the honor roll again this month." Alyssa informed him.

Mr. Garnet looked up from the issue of the evening newspaper he was reading with indifference. "Yes, well I suppose that's expected." He then glanced at his watch. "Dear me, is it that time already? I'm expected to make a conference call in about five minutes. I trust you won't disturb me in my office."

"Yes father." Alyssa replied.

With that, Mr. Garnet got up from the table and left the room. That was how the evening typically went at the Garnet home. The only times Alyssa would see her father were at breakfast and dinner, and they would never really speak to one another. Her father's job had always come first for as long as Alyssa could remember. The two of them had even moved all the way out to Tokyo so he could take a high paying executive job at the Japanese branch of the company he worked for. Mr. Garnet had been so consumed by his work over the years that he barely acknowledged Alyssa's existence.

"Nothing I ever do is good enough for him." Alyssa spoke to herself.

_"Then why even try, my dear?"_ a snake-like voice suddenly spoke. _"It isss obviousssly a futile effort."_

"Who's there?" a startled Alyssa asked as she stood up. "Identify yourself!"

_"I am Apep,"_ the voice replied, _"and you needn't be afraid. I've come to help you."_

"Help me how?" Alyssa asked.

_"I could sssenssse your lonelinessss."_ Apep replied. _"You try ssso hard to get your father to love you when he hasss no love to give. But I can give you the power to make him and the ressst of the world ressspect and fear you."_

"Respect? Fear?" Alyssa repeated. "What would I need with those things?"

_"Thossse thingsss would fill the void that hasss long been inssside you."_ Apep answered. _"Ssso my dear, what do you sssay to my offer?"_

"It does sound intriguing." Alyssa admitted. "I am puzzled by your motives, but then I suppose I have nothing to lose. Very well. I will try out this power of yours."

_"You will not be dissssapointed."_ Apep assured her.

With that, a shadowy black snake appeared behind Alyssa and prepared to bite down on her neck. At the same time, a drone hovered outside the open window of the room and took aim.

* * *

It was the end of another school day as Ichigo headed to her shoe locker. Thankfully, things had been quite that day so far. But when Ichigo got to her locker, she noticed a note stuffed inside it. Curious, she took the note out to read it.

_'Hey there, kitty cat.'_ The note read. _'Come to the abandoned building down the street from the school in less than ten minutes. Make sure to come alone. Otherwise that student librarian has had it. See you soon.'_

Ichigo crumpled the paper up in her hand. After quickly changing her shoes, she left the building. Part of her wanted to go get the others to help, but she knew she couldn't take the risk. Alyssa's safety was at stake, for one thing. Plus she didn't want to take the chance of Apep making good on his earlier threat about attacking the school.

As soon as she was out of the building, Ichigo transformed twice into her Ancient form and headed for the meeting spot. The place was an old abandoned four-story building that's insides had been gutted. Inside on the ground floor, Ichigo saw Alyssa tied to a wooden support beam. It looked as though she was unconscious.

"Alyssa!" a worried Ichigo called.

"Well, well. You're a little early, kitty cat." Sasha spoke as she emerged from behind another wooden support beam in her Mew Slayer form. "Not that I'm complaining, though."

"I quite agree." Colette spoke as she suddenly appeared behind Ichigo, also in her Mew Slayer form. "I was starting to get bored waiting."

"If you two have a problem with me, fine! But leave Alyssa out of it!" Ichigo told them.

"Fat chance!" Sasha replied. "Now, prepare to die!"

Sasha and Colette charged at Ichigo from the front and the rear. At the last second, Ichigo jumped high into the air and flipped over Sasha. As soon as she landed, she hit the ground running until she got to Alyssa. Using the blades on her gauntlet, Ichigo cut the roped that bound Alyssa. Very soon, Alyssa opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked.

"I am unharmed." Alyssa replied. "But you are another story."

Before Ichigo could respond, Alyssa suddenly hit her with a kick to the side that knocked the cat girl to the ground. Ichigo could tell that the power behind the kick wasn't normal.

Very quickly, Ichigo got back to her feet. "Alyssa, what are you doing?"

"It seems my plan has worked just as I had predicted." Alyssa remarked. "Cyber Garnet Metamorphosis!"

In an instant, Alyssa became enveloped in a pillar of reddish purple light. The light faded to reveal her in her own Mew Slayer costume, which was black with purple trim on some parts. Her silver hair and grey eyes had turned reddish-purple, and she had her own eyepiece with a purple lens. Her short skirt was divided into two leaf-shaped sections that divided in the front and back. Covering each shoulder was a transparent purple bubble, and on her back was looked like some sort of small silver electric generator. On the side of her right upper arm were red marks in the form of the number, 03.

"What the…? Alyssa, you're a Mew Slayer too?" Ichigo realized.

"You may address me as Mew Slayer Garnet." Alyssa coldly replied. "Under normal circumstances, I suppose I would be… touched, by your rescue. But this proves that your sentiment will be your undoing."

"But why?" Ichigo asked. "Why would you join the Mew Slayers?"

"Curiosity, mainly." Alyssa answered. "I want to see what this power Lord Apep has given me is capable of." With that, she raised her arms in the air and a ball of crackling purple energy formed in her hands. "Venom Shocker!"

Alyssa brought her arms forward and fired bolts of purple electricity at Ichigo. The cat girl jumped backwards to avoid the shock. But a second later Sasha fired at her from the side with her gun. Ichigo managed to turn out of the way of the second attack, only for Colette to charge at her. Before the spider girl's mechanical legs could strike, Ichigo delivered a kick to her left side that knocked her out of the way.

"Tendril Snare!" Alyssa called out as she fired two black cables from launchers mounted on the undersides of her wrists.

The cables wrapped themselves around Ichigo's wrists before she could fully react. A second later, Alyssa sent powerful surges of purple electricity down the cables. Ichigo screamed as the pain from the shocks brought her to her knees.

"Yeah! Now we're talking!" Sasha gleefully declared as she fired another energy shot. Ichigo was struck in the stomach, causing her to cry out more.

"This shouldn't take much longer." Colette remarked. "The poor dear's on her last legs."

"It seems her stamina was not as great as we were led to believe." Alyssa commented. "I am interested to see if the other members of Tokyo Mew Mew will provide more of a challenge."

Ichigo's eyes snapped wide open. _'No… I can't… can't let them get to the others!'_ She started trying to stand back up. _'I won't… LET THEM WIN!'_

Suddenly a pillar of emerald light enveloped Ichigo, causing the cables around her wrists to snap. An expression of surprise appeared on Alyssa's face. The light faded and Ichigo was back on her feet. After catching her breath, she glared over at Sasha with slit-like pupils.

"Take this!" Sasha cried out. "Orochi Eight Shot Strike!"

The snake girl then fired eight snake-shaped red beams from her gun. Ichigo quickly jumped forward to dodge the attack and hit Sasha with a flying kick. Colette then charged in again, but Ichigo knocked her away with a slap from the back of her armored gauntlet. The cat girl then jumped back as all three Mew Slayers grouped together.

The blades from Ichigo's armored gauntlet extended as she raised her arm. "Ribbon Strawberry Slash!"

With one swipe, Ichigo sent forth a massive blade of pink energy that tore up the ground and hit all three Mew Slayers. The attack also hit many of the support beams of the abandoned building, causing the structure to become unstable. As quick as she could, Ichigo rushed out of the building only seconds before it collapsed into a pile of rubble. A few more seconds went by, and soon the Mew Slayers managed to dig themselves out.

"Damn it!" Sasha cursed.

"We should retreat for now." Alyssa suggested. "Our chances of destroying her have greatly decreased now that we've been damaged."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sasha admitted before turning back to Ichigo. "Don't think this is over though, kitty cat!" With that, all three Mew Slayers vanished in flashes of red, white, and purple light.

An exhausted Ichigo fell to her knees. _'I don't know how much more of this I can take.'_

_"You're putting on a fine perfomanccce, Basssstett."_ Apep spoke, starling Ichigo.

"You monster! What are you, anyway?" Ichigo demanded to know.

_"Ah, ssso you ssstill have yet to recover your memoriesss from the passst."_ Apep observed. _"I sssupossse that I do owe you sssome explanation of what I am. I am a being of pure chaosss, born eonsss from the deepessst depthsss of the cauldron that exissstsss at the center of thisss galaxy. Sssome would call me an anomaly, I sssuppossse. But the universsse itssself itssself isss but a teeming masssss of floating chaosss."_

"So what are you after then?" Ichigo asked.

_"Only the total dessstruction of order in the universssse!"_ Apep answered. _"Earth shall be but the next world to fall to me."_

"I'll stop you." Ichigo declared.

_"SSSSAA HA HA HA HAA!"_ the serpent laughed. _"You are mossst welcome to try. But remember the rulesss of our game, Basssstett. You cannot involve any of your friendsss. Not even that boy they call the Blue Knight. Otherwissse you shall only be sssealing their doom. I'll be watching you."_

Somehow Ichigo could sense that Apep was gone. Relieved that the serpent had left, she rested against a large piece of rubble to think.

_'What am I going to do now?'_ Ichigo wondered.

* * *

Moreau and Montgomery stood atop a hill of sand in the Egyptian desert alongside Kish, Pie, and Tart. The five watched as four very large mutated beetles dug through the sand and uncovered a second silver pyramid, nearly identical to the one they had found earlier. Once the pyramid had been completely uncovered, blue jellyfish-like creatures flew out of the beetles, causing the insects to shrink down to normal size.

"Very impressive work, Mr. Kish." Moreau praised. "It would've taken ages to uncover this tomb using normal human technology. And if I'm right, we do not have the luxury of time on our side."

"What's the point of digging out this pyramid, anyway?" Tart asked. "It's just another alien tomb."

"But it isn't just any tomb." Pie pointed out. "If we're right, this should be the tomb of Bastet's sister, Sekhmet."

"Just what is it that you expect to find in that tomb, human?" Kish asked Moreau.

"Confirmation, for one thing." Moreau answered. "Plus the clue that will allow us to begin the next phase of my brilliant plan. Montgomery, order our team set up another site here."

"As you wish, Moreau." Montgomery replied as he got out his radio.

"Now then, Mr. Kish, shall we go in?" Moreau asked.

With that, the five headed into the pyramid. After walking down long dark corridors illuminated only by Moreau and Montgomery's flashlights, they soon entered a large round chamber with a massive statue inside. The statue was of a young woman who looked to be about seventeen. She had long hair that went down to her waist and a pair of lion-like ears on the top of her head.

"Well, I guess we found the right tomb." Kish observed.

"Moreau! Over here!" Montgomery called over.

Moreau walked over to the spot where Montgomery was standing. The blonde manservant's flashlight shined on a certain section of hieroglyphs. The young genius quickly pulled a small black book out of his pocket.

"What did you find?" Pie asked.

"The Eye of Sekhmet shall revive the daughters of Ra." Moreau read. "I found this same passage in Bastet's tomb. This seems to confirm my theory."

"So what now?" Kish asked. "What exactly is this big plan of yours to save Ichigo?"

"Simple, Mr. Kish." Moreau answered. "We're going to revive Sekhmet."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm sure many of you reading have realized by now that the Mew Slayers are sort of paralleling the Mew Mews. Alyssa of course is meant to be the anti-Lettuce. I'm sure many have also noticed that I've been naming the Mew Slayers after various gemstones. Coming up with the names was the toughest part, actually. I don't remember how I finally got the idea to use gemstones though. I got the idea while I was pulling out of my garage one morning, so my concentration was of course elsewhere. But I remembered the idea itself, that's what matters.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	6. The Changing Game

**Author's Note:** Thinking about the direction this story has been going in so far made me decided to rethink this chapter a little. As a result, this chapter now has three very special "guest stars".

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 5: The Changing Game

Twelve-year-old Connie Topaz hid behind a dumpster in a dark alley waiting for a pair of cops to pass by. With the dark night sky, she could easily see where they were from the beams of their flashlights. Connie knew that if the two patrolmen found her, they would do one of two things. They would either send her back to the rat hole of an orphanage she had ran away from, or put her in jail for the time she broke through the firewall of a government computer system and sending in a virus that changed every stored document to a list of dirty limericks she had learned from one of the older kids at her unwanted community home. Of course Connie knew that the chances of the latter possibility were slim, as she had always been careful about covering her tracks.

After what seemed like an extremely long five minutes, the two police officers finally gave up and moved on. After waiting a few moments to make sure they were really gone, Connie breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out from behind the dumpster.

"Lousy cops!" Connie cursed under her breath. "As if I'm going back to that dump! That place stinks. Heck, this whole world stinks!"

_"I couldn't agree with you more, child."_ A snake-like voice spoke.

"Who said that?" Connie demanded to know.

_"Do not be alarmed, dear Connie. I am Apep."_ The serpent answered. _"I sssensssed your anger at the world and came to help you. I can give you power. The kind of power that will allow you to dessstroy thisss pathetic world."_

"What kind of power are we talking about here?" Connie asked. "We talking financial power, or the power to fly and blow stuff up?"

_"I ssspeak of the latter, of courssse."_ Apep answered. _"Ssso what do you sssay to my offer."_

"Well, that old bat at the orphanage always told me never to take things from strangers." The brown-haired girl recalled. "But screw that! I'm in."

_"Wonderful."_ Apep replied.

A shadowy black snake appeared right behind Connie and leaned in to bite her on the neck. At the same time, a drone came down from above and took aim.

* * *

Ichigo headed for school still feeling very tired. Not only was she still recovering from her battle with the Mew Slayers the day before, she had stayed up half the night trying to figure out what to do about Apep. Ichigo knew that if she kept taking on the Mew Slayers on her own, she probably wouldn't last very much longer. She needed the others to back her up. Yet at the same time, Ichigo also knew that if she asked for help, Apep would make good on his threat and have his Mew Slayers and an army of Serpent Anima attack the school.

Plus there was something in the back of Ichigo's mind that was telling her just how dangerous Apep truly was. She was absolutely terrified of him. That much Ichigo knew, but she didn't quite know why. Yet it was enough to make her think that perhaps it was best that the others didn't get involved.

"Hello again, Ichigo." A woman's voice spoke from behind.

Ichigo turned around, and the only living thing she saw behind her was a cat sitting on the ground. But this was not an odd occurrence for the redhead. One of the side effects from her powers was the ability to understand the language of cats. And as a result, Ichigo would sometimes converse with the cats she would see every now and than on her normal walking routes. This particular cat though was a little different from most of the other cats Ichigo would encounter. She was a black cat with an odd crescent-shaped spot on her forehead. The cat called herself Luna, and she somehow seemed quite wise.

"Hi Luna." Ichigo greeted. "I haven't seen you around her in a while."

"Everything okay?" Luna asked. "You look troubled."

"Well…" Ichigo began hesitantly. "I have this problem I have to take care of. It's a problem I don't think I can take care of on my own, but… if I get anyone else involved, they'll get hurt."

"I see." Luna replied. "But don't you think the risk is for friends to worry about? I'm sure whoever you ask to help you will want to no matter how dangerous the task is."

"That's exactly why I can't tell them about what's going on." Ichigo told her. "Besides, a lot more people would get hurt if I involve anyone else. I have to do this on my own. There's no other choice."

"You do seem to carry a lot of weight on your shoulders for someone so young." The cat commented.

"Tell me about it." Ichigo agreed with a slight smile. "It's pretty lonely actually."

"Just remember one thing Ichigo. You're never alone." Luna told her. "There are many others who can help when you need it most. Even some who you aren't even aware of."

"Thanks Luna." Ichigo replied. "But I really don't think any of those people can help me right now. I better get going. See you around Luna."

"Good luck, Ichigo." Luna told her before darting off.

The rest of Ichigo's morning ended up being fairly uneventful. Before long, the lunch period came. And as Ichigo headed out to the yard to meet up with the others, she noticed a small crowd gathered in one of the computer labs. Curious, she went inside to see what all the fuss was about. Sitting at one of the computers was a twelve-year-old girl with short brown hair and hazel eyes. Looking at the screen, Ichigo saw that the girl was playing some kind of online game, and that she was doing a very good job of it.

_'Who is this girl?'_ Ichigo wondered.

"Hello Ichigo." A familiar voice greeted. Ichigo turned around and saw that it was Lettuce.

"Oh, hey Lettuce." Ichigo greeted back. "Who's this new girl?"

"Her name's Connie Topaz. She just transferred in today." Lettuce explained. "It turns out she has a way with computers."

Ichigo glanced back at the computer screen and saw a large message saying that Connie won. It changed to another screen showing the game's top scorers. Connie entered a screen name up in the number one spot.

"Well, another loser dethroned." Connie commented as she stretched her arms. "I'm going to lunch now. Later, fans."

With that, Connie got out of her chair and headed for the door. On her way past, she bumped into Ichigo.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Ichigo complained.

Connie stopped and turned back with a sinister grin. "You're the one who better watch out."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked. Connie only snickered as she left the room.

"Let it go, Ichigo. I'm sure Connie didn't mean anything." Lettuce assumed.

"Yeah, I guess." Ichigo relented. "C'mon. I'm sure the others are waiting."

With that, the two of them left the lab. Once they were outside in the courtyard, they suddenly heard the sound of a violin being played. Ichigo had heard some violin music before, but never anything as beautiful as what she was hearing now. The tune seemed resonate with her somehow, and Ichigo found that she felt calmer than she had been in days.

"That piece is so beautiful." Lettuce commented. "I wonder who's playing it?"

"Let's go find out." Ichigo decided.

The two girls followed the sound of the music to its source. The sound led them to a large tree on campus. Sitting under it playing the violin was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She had stunning aqua colored hair and had on an elegant powder-blue dress with a string of pearls.

"Wow! Who is this person?" Ichigo wondered.

"I think she's the new music teacher." Lettuce quietly answered. "You know, the one filling for Mr. Mizuki after he won the lottery and decided to retire early."

Suddenly the mysterious woman stopped playing and opened her eyes, noticing the two girls. "Oh! I see I have an audience."

"Uh, sorry." Ichigo responded. "We didn't mean to intrude."

"No need to apologize." The mystery woman assured them as she put away her instrument and got up. "I was just practicing. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Michiru Kaioh, the new music teacher."

"Nice to meet you." Ichigo greeted back with a bow. "I'm Ichigo Momomiya, and this is my friend, Lettuce Midorikawa."

"Your playing was beautiful." Lettuce told Michiru as she also bowed.

"You're very kind." Michiru replied.

"Yo! There you are, Michi." A voice interrupted.

Ichigo and Lettuce turned around to see a person who appeared to be a young man in his early twenties. He had blonde hair and wore a yellow shirt with a black jacket and slacks. Ichigo couldn't help but notice that this person had a somehow feminine appearance.

"If you two girls will excuse me, my lunch date has arrived." Michiru informed them. "Ichigo, Lettuce, it was nice meeting you."

"Same here." Ichigo replied.

With that, Michiru began walking towards the young man. "You're late, Haruka."

"Sorry 'bout that." The young man known as Haruka replied. "I had some… traffic issues on the way over."

"You got pulled over again, didn't you?" Michiru deduced as she crossed her arms.

"Don't blame me! I was only going two miles above the limit." Haruka told her. "Those damn cops set up a speed trap."

"I swear! One of these days, that lead foot of yours is going to drive me nuts." Michiru declared as they walked off.

"Those two certainly make an interesting couple." Lettuce remarked.

"Yeah." Ichigo agreed. "One thing's for sure though, Ms. Kaioh is really good with a violin."

"She should be, for being one of the best musical artists in Japan." A voice suddenly remarked. Ichigo and Lettuce turned around to see Mint approaching.

"Oh! Hi Mint." Ichigo greeted. "Wait a minute, Ms. Kaioh's famous?"

Mint sighed a bit. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you wouldn't know this, Ichigo. Michiru Kaioh is a world-renowned violinist. My mother is a big fan of hers."

"Wait, Ms. Kaioh is _that_ Michiru Kaioh?" a surprised Lettuce asked. "But hold on, I thought Michiru Kaioh was a bit older. That woman we just saw couldn't have been over twenty-one or twenty-two."

"She's probably had work done or something." Mint assumed.

"Hey Mint, do you know anything about that guy Ms. Kaioh left with?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, him? I think that was Haruka Tenoh." Mint answered. "I think he's like a race car driver or something."

"So is he Ms. Kaioh's boyfriend?" Lettuce inquired.

"Boyfriend or husband, I don't quite remember." Mint answered.

"Really?" a surprised Ichigo asked. "Huh… I never would've figured that."

"What do you mean, Ichigo?" Lettuce asked.

"Well I could be wrong, but I think that Haruka guy might be a woman." Ichigo theorized. "Something about the voice, I think."

"You really think so?" a surprised Lettuce asked.

"Don't be absurd, Ichigo!" Mint told her. "It's well known that Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh are an item."

"Yeah, those two definitely gave off that kind of vibe." Ichigo agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"But then wouldn't that mean…?" Lettuce suddenly realized.

"Pretty much." Ichigo confirmed. "But hey. If they're in love, what does it matter?"

"You, uh… you really think that, Ichigo?" a surprised Mint asked.

"Of course." Ichigo answered with a big smile. "Sure it might seem a little odd to some people. But a couple like that isn't any different from what people would consider a normal couple."

Mint looked at Ichigo with wide eyes before a shadow of sadness came to her face. "I, uh… I have some stuff I need to take care of. Can one of you guys do a favor for me later and tell Ryou I won't be coming into work this afternoon?"

"Sure Mint." Ichigo agreed. "But wait, how come you're not coming into work today?"

"I… I have a date with Koji this afternoon." Mint revealed.

"You're still going along with that?" a stunned Ichigo asked.

"What choice do I have?" Mint replied with anger in her voice. "Just deliver my message, okay?"

"Yeah… no problem." Ichigo replied. With that, Mint stormed off.

"Boy, this who thing with Koji certainly has made Mint pretty grumpy." Lettuce observed.

"I know. She's more sarcastic and rude than she ever used to be." Ichigo agreed. "That remark about Ms. Kaioh having work done was a little over the top even for her."

"I wish there was something we could do to help." Lettuce admitted. "But it's pretty much out of our hands."

Ichigo sighed heavily. "I know."

* * *

Trojan sat in his darkened lab entering data into one of his computers. As he worked, Connie sat on a red couch playing a first person shooter video game on a flat screen television. Scattered around her were discarded candy wrappers and empty soda bottles. While Connie continued blowing up things on the TV screen, Sasha, Colette, and Alyssa entered the lab.

"Jeez doc! How can you work with all that racket?" Sasha asked upon noticing Connie's activities.

"I have learned to block out many things over the years, Ms. Sasha." Trojan answered.

"I still don't see how that little urchin is going to be of any use to us." Colette remarked. "All she seems to do is make noise."

"Lord Apep would not have selected her for the Mew Slayer Project if he saw her as useless." Trojan pointed out. "I can assure the three of you that Ms. Connie's abilities will be of great use to you all?"

"What sort of DNA did you infuse her with, Dr. Trojan?" Alyssa asked.

"The DNA of the Asian Giant Hornet." Trojan answered.

"An annoying little buzzing insect, eh?" Colette observed. "I suppose that's appropriate for a little pest like her."

"She had better be helpful to us." Sasha spoke. "I'm getting tired of getting our butts kicked all the time by that damn cat."

"Mew Ichigo may have the advantage in power, but we have the advantage in numbers." Alyssa pointed out. "And the chances of her calling in reinforcements is negligible, as we effectively have a gun to the head of every student and teacher at our school."

"Dang it! I'm getting bored!" Connie declared from her couch. "When are we going after that loser cat girl I was told about?"

_"I sssupossse the time hasss come for the next attack."_ Apep decided from the red sphere in the lab. _"The four of you shall ssstrike Basssstett thisss evening."_

"I believe I can come up with an effective strategy for this battle." Alyssa spoke.

"Good." Sasha agreed. "Let's take that damn cat out once and for all!"

* * *

It was turning out to be a fairly quiet afternoon at Café Mew Mew. Pudding was up to her usual antics and Lettuce continued to perform her duties with all the grace of a drunken elephant. The only thing out of the ordinary was that both Mint and Zakuro were absent. Mint was out on another unwanted date while Zakuro was at a film shoot. Yet despite being understaffed, things at the café were quite peaceful.

As closing time finally began to approach, Ichigo went out to the back to throw out the trash. Once outside, Ichigo saw Masaya talking on his cell phone. Quietly she finished her task as Masaya continued to speak.

"Of course, Mom…. I understand. I'll see you later." Masaya spoke into the phone before hanging up. He turned around and noticed Ichigo. "Oh. Hey there."

"Hey." Ichigo greeted back. "Everything okay?"

"Not really. My grandmother's just taken ill." Masaya revealed.

"Oh! I'm real sorry to hear that." Ichigo told him. "Is she going to be okay?"

"The doctors seem to think so, but they're not sure." Masaya answered. "The thing is though, I'm going to have to leave town for awhile to help my parents take care of her."

A chill went down Ichigo's spine. "I see… do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"Afraid not." Masaya answered. "But my parents and I will be leaving tonight. I'll try to be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Yeah… okay." Ichigo replied. "I, um… I better get back to work now."

"Hey Ichigo." Masaya spoke, causing the redhead to stop. "Is everything okay?"

"…Yeah, of course." Ichigo lied with a big smile. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"…Well okay then." Masaya answered after a moment.

With that, Ichigo went back into the café. As she left, Masaya couldn't help but feel that Ichigo wasn't telling him the truth.

* * *

Closing time had come and gone and evening was starting to set in. Ichigo walked her normal route home with Masha as her only companion. The one thing most on her mind at the moment was Masaya's sudden and imminent departure.

_'Of all the times for him to have to leave, why did it have to be now?'_ Ichigo thought. _'Before, even though I couldn't tell Masaya about what was going on, just having Masaya near me made me feel like I could get through this. But now… I don't know what I'm going to do.'_

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a sudden buzzing noise not far away. Whatever it was sounded like it was coming closer, and something at the back of Ichigo's mind told her it was dangerous. In an instant, Ichigo went through a double transformation to her Ancient form and quickly jumped onto the brick fence that went along the sidewalk. Only a split second after she jumped, a barrage of some unknown projectile struck the spot where Ichigo once stood. The dust quickly settled to reveal where a large crater had formed.

"Dang! You are fast." A familiar voice spoke.

Ichigo looked up to see Connie hovering in the air as a Mew Slayer. Her hair and eyes had turned orange, and her eyepiece had an orange lens. Her Mew Slayer costume was similar in some ways to Pudding's Mew Mew costume. It was mainly black with orange trim, and around her midsection were two wide orange bands. While a black fingerless glove covered her left hand, her right hand had on a gauntlet with a large black and orange striped cannon-like weapon with a black stinger on the front. On top of the device was a cut topaz gemstone. On Connie's back was a device with buzzing orange wings that allowed for flight., and on the front of her upper right leg in red was the number 04.

"You're that new girl at school!" Ichigo recalled. "Connie, wasn't it?"

"Hey! That's Mew Slayer Topaz to you, loser!" Connie corrected.

"Look, I'm in no mood for this right now!" Ichigo told her.

"Yeah? Well too bad! Time for you to die!" Connie declared as she took aim. "Machinegun Stinger!"

A barrage of stinger-like missiles began to fire from the launcher on Connie's arm. Ichigo jumped off before the barrage hit and reduced part of the brick fence she was on to a pile of rubble. The cat girl dashed away down the street as Connie flew after her and continued her relentless assault. The young hornet girl laughed with mad glee at the collateral damage her weapon caused. After a moment the barrage finally stopped, allowing Ichigo to pause.

"Oops. Looks like I need a minute to reload." Connie observed. "Might wanna catch your breath while you can."

"Stop this right now, Connie!" Ichigo ordered. "Can't you see all the destruction this rampage of yours is causing? Innocent people could get hurt!"

"What do I care? This whole world pretty much sucks." Connie replied. "I'm not gonna shed a tear if it fries. And if I'm the one who's gonna fry it, all the better."

_'I have to end this now!'_ Ichigo mentally decided.

The gemstone on Connie's launcher began to glow. "Well, looks like I'm finally reloaded. Say goodbye, dweeb!"

Before Connie could fire a shot, Ichigo suddenly jumped straight into the air as the blades on her gauntlet extended. "Ribbon Strawberry Slash!"

With a swing of her arm, Ichigo sent forth a massive blade of pink energy that struck Connie. The hornet girl cried out before falling to the ground as the attack ended. Ichigo landed back down on the same spot as Connie slowly got to her feet. The young Mew Slayer was crackling with sparks of orange electricity.

"It's over, Connie." Ichigo told her.

"Yeah. For you." Connie replied with a grin. "Did you really think I came here alone, loser?"

"Nice evening for a walk, eh kitty cat?" a very familiar voice asked. Ichigo turned around to see Sasha, Colette, and Alyssa standing a few feet away in their Mew Slayer forms.

"Oh no!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Hey loser!" Connie called, getting Ichigo's attention. "I've still got a little steam left. Which means you'll going to have to take us all on!"

"You're going down this time, kitty cat." Sasha declared.

Ichigo readied herself for their attacks. But before any of the Mew Slayers could strike, a massive ball of orange energy resembling a planet suddenly came down from above and struck Alyssa. The jellyfish girl was hit and knocked to the ground.

"What the hell?" Sasha exclaimed.

Before anyone could figure out what was happening, another large ball made of blue energy came down and struck Colette. The spider girl was knocked to the ground but was still conscious.

'What's going on?' Ichigo wondered.

"Hey!" a husky-sounding female voice called down. "Didn't anyone teach you girls that four against one isn't fair?"

Everyone looked up to see a pair of figures standing atop the roof of one of the taller houses in the neighborhood. They were two women, but this distance and the darkening sky made it practically impossible to make out their faces. One of the two women seemed to have short blonde hair, and the other had longer aqua-colored hair. Both of them had on some kind of sleeveless sailor uniform-like costume, each with a short skirt.

"Who the hell are you two?" Sasha demanded to know.

"Normally we'd introduce ourselves, but for now we'd prefer to keep our identities a secret." The longhaired woman answered.

"You four girls better get lost!" the tall blonde with the husky voice warned. "Otherwise you'll be in for a world of hurt."

"As if!" Sasha scoffed as she aimed her gun at the strangers. "Eat this! Orochi Eight Shot Strike!"

Sasha fired eight snake-like beams up at the two strangers. But before the beams could strike, the aqua-haired woman suddenly produced what looked like a hand mirror and raised it in front of the blasts. The beams struck the mirror only to bounce off and head back down to where they came from. All four Mew Slayers were struck by the reflected attack. When the smoke cleared they were all crackling with energy. Blood trickled down from the side of Sasha's lip.

"Damn you!" Sasha cursed. "Okay kitty cat. Your life span just got a little longer. But next time, your ass is as good as fried! As for you two freaks, stay out of our way!"

As soon as all four Mew Slayers vanished, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief and turned up to the two strangers. "Thanks for the help. But would you mind at least telling me who you are?"

"Another time, maybe." The blonde stranger answered. "Right now, you should get home and rest, cat girl."

Before Ichigo could respond, the mystery duo leapt away into the approaching night. As they left, Ichigo couldn't help but feel that she had met the strangers somewhere else before.

* * *

Haruka and Michiru jumped to the ground and changed back to their civilian identities. As soon as they did, a familiar black cat with a crescent mark on her forehead walked up to them.

"I trust everything went well?" Luna assumed.

"We scared those four Mew Slayer girls off, at least." Haruka replied. "They do seem pretty tough though."

"It's just as well. I'm sure Usagi wouldn't like it if we ended up killing them." Michiru assumed.

"Quite right." Luna agreed. "Those four girls were seduced by a dark power. They may not be fully responsible for their actions."

"In any case, I'm glad we decided to follow Ichigo home this evening." Michiru continued. "I had a feeling those girls would try something again. I just hope we didn't reveal too much about ourselves."

"This whole thing would be a lot easier if we didn't have to keep ourselves hidden." Haruka remarked.

"It can't be helped." Luna told her. "We're dealing with a very powerful enemy. It wouldn't be wise to reveal our hand too soon."

"Our hands do seem a bit tied though." Michiru pointed out. "At the very least, I wish Ichigo would tell her friends about what's going on. Their help would make things much easier for both her and us."

"Unfortunately, the enemy seems to have some kind of leverage over her." The cat informed them. "Until someone figures out a way to get rid of that leverage, she's determined to fight alone."

"Besides Michi, it's best if the other Mew girls don't get involved." Haruka added. "Ichigo can handle herself, but this enemy is way beyond her little friends."

"I suppose you're right." Michiru agreed. "The question is, what do we do now?"

"We're going to meet tomorrow to plan our next move." Luna informed them. "The time may be coming for us to get more involved in this battle."

* * *

Sasha and the others had returned to Trojan's lab. Upon their arrival, Sasha punched out one of the monitors hanging on the wall.

"I'd appreciate it if you did not damage my equipment, Ms. Sasha." Trojan told her.

"Damn it!" Sasha cursed. "What the hell happened back there? I thought those other Mew Mews weren't going to get involved!"

"And their power levels were not what we had expected." Alyssa noted. "Unless of course those two were Mew Mews that we weren't aware of."

_"They were not Mew Mewsss."_ Apep spoke, getting their attention. _"They were the sssoldiersss of that wretched girl."_

"What girl are you taking about, my lord?" Colette asked.

_"Sssome with power that may rival that of Ra."_ Apep answered. _"The game isss changing. Trojan! It isss time to take thingsss to the next level."_

"Understood, my lord." Apep replied. "This will give me a much better chance to study Mew Ichigo's endurance."

"I don't get you, doc. Why the hell are you in this thing?" Sasha asked. "It's almost like if you don't mind that we keep getting our butts handed to us by that damn cat. What's your deal?"

"There is only one reason why I'm involved in this project, Ms. Sasha." Trojan told her. "I'm trying to save my daughter's life."

* * *

The two days following the battle were relatively peaceful. The only enemy Ichigo had to contend with during that time was schoolwork. As the end of another school day drew near, Ichigo had been asked to go to Trojan's office. When she opened the door she found not just Trojan waiting for her, but a man and woman that were all too familiar to her.

"Mom? Dad? What are you two doing here?" a surprised Ichigo asked.

"Please sit down, Ms. Momomiya." Trojan requested. "We have some important matters to discuss."

Ichigo looked to the faces of her parents. Both of them had very serious expressions. Hesitantly, Ichigo sat down in the only remaining chair in front of Trojan's desk.

"Now then, Mr. and Mrs. Momomiya, I've called you here because I'm afraid your daughters grades have been slipping recently." Trojan began. "If something drastic isn't done soon, I'm afraid she may wash out."

"Now just hold on!" Ichigo protested. "I may not be the brightest girl in school, but I know my grades aren't that horrible."

"Calm down, Ichigo." Mrs. Momomiya told her. "Let's here what he has to say."

"Dr. Trojan, just what do you have in mind?" Mr. Momomiya asked.

"At the building where my lab is located, there are some small living quarters used sometimes by the staff." Trojan explained. "My proposal is that your daughter stay there in those quarters for at least a month where I can personally supervise her studies."

"I don't know. That sounds a little drastic." Mrs. Momomiya replied.

_"Why be ssso hesitant to accept sssuch an offer?"_ an all too familiar snake-like voice asked, causing Ichigo's blood to run cold. _"Thisss man isss offering to persssonally help your daughter sssucceed, and right when she needsss help the mossst. In the meantime, you can ussse thisss month to take the sssecond honeymoon you've both ssso been wanting to take."_

As Apep spoke, Ichigo noticed a sort of dreamy look come over her parents. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but found that her throat was somehow paralyzed.

"Okay Dr. Trojan, we gladly accept your kind offer." Mr. Momomiya finally agreed. "Ichigo, you work hard and study, okay?"

"We'll go ahead and send a few of your things to Dr. Trojan's lab." Mrs. Momomiya added.

"Ms. Momomiya, if you'll kindly leave the room, your parents and I will discuss the details of this little arrangement." Trojan requested to Ichigo.

Almost mechanically, Ichigo got up and walked out the door of the office. Once back in the hallway, Ichigo leaned against the wall by the door. Whatever had come over her in the office seemed to have passed.

_"It ssseemsss our game isss advancing, Basssstett."_ Apep spoke.

"What did you do to my parents, you monster?" Ichigo demanded to know.

_"Only a little bit of hypnossisss."_ Apep answered. _"Even in my current weakened ssstate I can be very persssuasssive."_

"Why are you doing this?" Ichigo asked.

_"To get you alone, of coussse."_ Apep answered. _"Who do you think arranged the illnesss of that boy'sss grandmother? Now you are truly cut off."_

"No… even though my friends may not be able to help me right now, I'm never alone." Ichigo told him.

_"Ah yesss, you mussst be talking about thossse two you called upon in our lassst little battle."_ Apep recalled. _"I'm afraid that wasss a little violation of our game."_

"But I didn't…" Ichigo began.

_"I'm afraid you'll have to be penalized for that, Basssstett."_ Apep continued. _"Sssince you were helped by two alliesss, two of your friendsss shall now sssuffer."_

"Wait!" Ichigo attempted to beg, but she could sense that Apep had already gone.

Ichigo slid down against the wall to sit on the floor. Tears had started to stream down her face. Meanwhile just around the corner of the hall, Michiru had been watching.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I was starting to feel like these chapters were starting to get a little repetitive. So to shake things up, I decided to bring in my previously mentioned "guest stars" a little earlier than I had originally planned. Of course trying to figure out how to introduce them in the story was causing me a few problems. But hopefully this little development will shake things up a bit.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	7. Gossip

**Author's Note:** There are going to be two more very special "guest stars" appearing in this chapter in addition to the ones from last time. I'm sure everyone will know who they are.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 6: Gossip

Ichigo's ground floor room at the building Trojan operated out of was indeed a modest one. It was clean, yet fairly small. The walls were grey and had only a single window. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a bed, a chair, and a desk with a small computer on it. It was similar to a very cheap hotel room, yet Ichigo felt like it was more of a prison cell than anything else. After all, Apep had manipulated things so that Ichigo would end up there.

Due to the serpent's tricks, Ichigo's parents had gone to Hawaii for their second honeymoon. It would be almost a month before their return. Thus Ichigo had been left in Trojan's care, and the old doctor had made it clear that he would be working Ichigo hard. The evening had started to grow late, and with her packing done and no further homework assignments, Ichigo had nothing to do but sit at the end of the bed. Her Internet access had been restricted, and Trojan had taken her cell phone for the night. As a result, Ichigo didn't even have Masha as a companion.

_'I have to get out of this, somehow.'_ Ichigo thought. _'I know Apep is behind this. I don't know if Dr. Trojan is working with him, but everything's been going according to Apep's plan. There has to be a way for me to escape this trap.'_

Ichigo's thoughts were disturbed by a sudden knock on the door. Ichigo was sure that the person on the other side was Trojan, or someone who worked for him.

Ichigo gave a heavy sigh. "Come on in."

The door opened, and walking into the room was a young woman who looked to be about seventeen. She had very long dark chocolate-brown hair and brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a red blazer with a white shirt, a short black skirt, and black heels. Ichigo's eyes went wide with surprise upon seeing the woman. She had seen that face before in her dreams.

_'This girl… she looks just like Sekhmet!'_ Ichigo thought. _'Who is she? What's going on?'_

"Hi there." The young woman greeted. "I heard this room had just gotten a new tenet. I'm Coco Hibiki."

"Uh… Ichigo Momomiya." The redhead greeted back as she shook the young woman's hand.

"Nice to meet you." Coco replied. "So, my dad mentioned to me that you're one of his latest projects."

"Your dad?" Ichigo asked. "Wait, you mean Dr. Trojan? But, your last name…"

"Oh, that. Well, my parents were never married." Coco explained. "My mom was my dad's lab assistant years ago when he was over here in Japan on a research project. It was office Christmas party, they had both had a few too many glasses of champagne, and I think you can pretty much guess the rest."

"Oh, I see." Ichigo replied. "But then I guess I shouldn't have asked about that anyway."

"I don't mind at all." Coco assured her. "A lot of people ask that question when they learn who my dad is. This way I've gotten it out of the way."

"Well I'm glad I didn't offend you then." Ichigo responded. "So, do your dad and your mom still see each other?"

"…My mom died five years ago." Coco revealed as a look of sadness came to her face.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ichigo told her.

"Don't worry about it." Coco replied. "I…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Coco suddenly collapsed to the floor and began convulsing. Her breathing became very irregular

"Are you okay?" a very worried Ichigo asked.

"Pocket…" Coco managed to speak.

Ichigo looked and saw the white lid of a pill bottle protruding from the right pocket of Coco's blazer. The redhead quickly pulled it out and handed it to Coco. Coco managed to get the bottle open and dumped out three red pills into her hand. With some difficulty, Coco managed to get the pills into her mouth and swallow them. In a few moments, Coco's seizers stopped and her breathing became normal.

"Sorry you had to see that." Coco told Ichigo as she sat up.

"What happened to you?" a still very concerned Ichigo asked.

"Nothing that hasn't happened to me before, I'm sorry to say." Coco answered. "My body's kind of a lemon. I was born with a very rare genetic illness. It's because of it that I'm no stranger to hospitals."

"Is, um… is it serious?" Ichigo asked.

"Kinda." Coco confirmed. "It's actually what killed my mom. The fact is… I probably only have a few months left in me."

"I… I don't know what to say." Ichigo responded. "I'm so sorry, Coco."

"Hey, you don't need to feel bad for me." Coco assured her with a smile. "I've had an okay run. Sure I probably won't be able to get the chance to do a lot of the things I'd like to in life. But my life hasn't been all that bad in general."

"I just wish there was something I could do though." Ichigo told her.

"Yeah, well if my dad's research goes well, I may not have to go shopping for a coffin so soon after all." Coco revealed as she got back to her feet.

"You mean Dr. Trojan's trying to find a cure?" Ichigo realized.

"Yep. He's pretty much devoted his life to it." Coco answered. "He keeps promising me that he'll find a way to make me well. But at this point I think it's a lost cause, to be honest."

"You shouldn't say things like that." Ichigo told her. "I mean… I'm sure it's not too late."

"The clock's kind of ticking." Coco pointed out. "My dad did tell me today when I got here that he's closer than ever to finding a way to cure me. But I think at this point it'll take a miracle."

"I… just don't want to see someone like you give up." Ichigo told her.

"Hey, I'm not giving up." Coco assured her. "I'm just kind of accepting things as they are, you know? I'm okay with this Ichigo, really."

Suddenly the door to the room opened up again and Trojan walked in. "There you are, Coco. I was starting to worry."

"Sorry dad. Just saying hi to your new houseguest here." Coco explained.

"Yes, well if we don't hurry, we'll be late for our dinner reservations." Trojan reminded her.

"Okay dad." Coco replied. "I'll drop by again some time, okay Ichigo?"

"I'd like that." Ichigo agreed.

With that, Coco and Trojan left the room. Ichigo flopped backwards onto the bed with a small smile on her face. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason after meeting Coco, she felt safer than she had before.

* * *

Zakuro's life was certainly a busy one. In addition to working in a café, going to school, and occasionally having to save the world, Zakuro was also a famous model and actress. And it was her acting duties that had been occupying much of Zakuro's time for the past few days. Since the time the Mew Mews went up against the first Serpent Anima, Zakuro had been attending film shoots for a spy film set in Tokyo called _Die and Die Again_, part of a series of films about a young American super spy named Alexander Cain. Zakuro was staring in the film as one of the leads alongside an American actor named Chad Mathews. The film was expected to be the next big blockbuster around the world, but Zakuro was finding it hard to get into the project.

The reason why Zakuro was finding it so hard to concentrate on the film was because a certain dark-haired rich girl from Café Mew Mew had been occupying her thoughts. Ever since the news of Mint's arranged marriage, Zakuro had been feeling upset, angered in fact. It was something that she had avoided thinking about for quite some time. At first Zakuro had only seen Mint as just another admirer. But over time as spent more time with Mint, Zakuro had become quite fond of her. And without realizing it, she had started to see Mint in a whole other way. Now that it looked like she was about to lose Mint to someone else, Zakuro had been unsure about what to do.

As Zakuro sat outside on a folding chair at the film location deep in thought, someone walked up in front of her. "Mind if I join you?"

Looking up, Zakuro saw before her a young-looking woman with very long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. She had a red bow tied on the back of her head, while the rest of her outfit consisted of a white shirt with a tweed blazer and short tweed skirt, along with a pair of black shoes. Hanging from her right forearm was a wicker basket containing a white cat with a strange crescent-shaped mark on its forehead.

"You're Minako Aino." A surprised Zakuro realized.

"That's right." The blonde confirmed with a smile. "But please, call me Mina. Now do you mind if I take that other chair? I've been on my feet all morning."

"Oh… yeah, go ahead." Zakuro agreed.

"Thanks a bunch." Mina happily replied as she sat in the canvas chair on Zakuro's left. "So, you're the Zakuro Fujiwara I've heard so much about. Glad to have finally met you."

"It's actually nice meeting you too." Zakuro admitted. "I've seen a few of your movies. Don't take this the wrong way though, but you look younger than I expected you to be."

"Oh, I just have one of those faces." Mina modestly replied. "My agent tells me I can play anyone between eighteen and thirty. Anyway, looks like we're going to be working together."

"You're in the film too?" Zakuro asked.

"Yeah, I'm a last minute replacement for Agent Matsumoto. You know, Alexander Cain's mysterious contact in the movie." Mina explained.

"Is that cat of yours a prop or something?" Zakuro asked.

"Oh, this is just my companion, Artemis." Mina explained as she began stroking the cat's head. "I sort of take him to every project I do. Anyway, I certainly wouldn't mind having your role and be able to put my lips on an attractive young man like Chad Mathews. Ah, if only I were a few years younger. You sure are lucky to have all those scenes with him."

"If you say so." Zakuro indifferently replied.

"You don't seem all that enthusiastic about it." Mina observed. "A lot of ladies your age would love the chance to get with a good-looking hunk like Chad. Are you, I don't know… not into guys?"

Mina had pretty much hit the nail on the head. Zakuro had indeed never been interested in male companionship. In truth, she had never really given it a whole lot of thought before, just as she had never before fully considered her feelings for Mint. For most of her life, Zakuro had chosen to be alone and had never really let anyone become close. But that had begun to change when she met the other Mew Mews.

"What am I saying? That sort of thing really isn't any of my business." Mina continued. "Of course I can only think of one other reason why you're not all that excited about being able to lock lips with Chad. You already have someone in your life, don't you?"

"…There is someone I'm interested in, actually." Zakuro admitted after a moment. "But… I don't think I have a chance of being with that person now. If I ever did, I probably screwed it up."

"Well, so the rumors I heard were true." A voice interrupted.

Walking up to them was another young woman about Zakuro's age. She had red hair with a braided ponytail draped over her left shoulder and a lock that hung down to cover her right eye. Her outfit consisted of a skin-tight black leather bodysuit, with black boots and gloves.

"Oh, you're Eve Peridot, right?" Mina identified. "The one playing Alexander Cain's other love interest in the film who's also an elite assassin."

"That's right." The young lady confirmed. "And when I heard that the famed Minako Aino was going to be in this film, I had to see it for myself."

"So you're a fan of my work?" Mina assumed.

"I've seen your work, and it's not half bad." Eve admitted. "But I have to say, I never thought someone as over the hill as you would be in this movie. Then again I guess you do have something of a bit part compared to me and Fujiwara."

"So, I'm over the hill, am I?" Mina asked with a very insincere grin as she suddenly grabbed Artemis' head with a vice-like grip.

"Well for this business you are." Eve replied. "I mean you've gotta be in your thirties now, right? That's a little old for a part like this one. But then considering all the work it looks like you've had done, I guess you still pass for young enough."

"You know, it's really not nice to tell people you think they've had cosmetic surgery." Mina told her, still with a very insincere grin. "Just like it wouldn't be nice to say that the nose job you probably never got could've been a little better."

"Okay, you got me there." Eve responded as she held up her hands in surrender. "But hey, practically everything in our line of work is fake. Even what the public thinks about our personal lives."

At that moment, a man wearing a red ball cap and a black t-shirt ran up to the three. "Excuse me, Ms. Fujiwara? They're ready to shoot the next scene now."

"I'll be right there." Zakuro replied as she got up.

"Well, I think I'll got back to my trailer and change out of this costume." Eve decided as Zakuro walked off. "Nice meeting you, Ms. Aino." And with that, she walked off.

"Mina… you're crushing my skull." Artemis the white cat quietly spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Sorry Artemis!" Mina replied as she quickly released her grip. "That Eve girl really ticked me off. I get so tired of people assuming I've had work done."

"Honestly Mina, I'd think you'd be used to it by now." Artemis pointed out. "Surly you had to expect this sort of thing due to how you and the others age."

"I know." Mina replied with a sigh. "It still ticks me off though. No lady likes it when people think she's an old hag."

"I don't recall anyone ever calling you an old hag." Artemis replied. "In any case, you should focus on the other reason why we're here."

"I know. If our Ms. Zakuro wasn't in this film, I probably would've turned down this role." Mina admitted. "I've been trying to take on more dramatic roles, as you well know."

"It can't be helped, since we know this enemy is targeting at least two more members of Tokyo Mew Mew." Artemis reminded her. "That's why we have to get as close as we can to them as possible."

"Poor Haruka and Michiru. They pretty much feel like it's their fault the enemy's now targeting two of the other Mews because they meddled in that last battle." Mina recalled.

"Which is why we need to try our hardest to make sure the enemy doesn't succeed." Artemis replied.

* * *

Connie sat at a computer in Trojan's lab snickering. As she worked, Sasha and the other Mew Slayers walked in.

"Hey squirt, what're you working on?" Sasha asked.

"Making phony celebrity gossip." Connie answered. "I'm whipping up a fake story saying that the Wolf Mew and that actor Chad Mathews are an item."

"Why on earth would you waste your time on such a pointless activity?" Alyssa coldly asked.

_"Becaussse I order her to."_ Apep spoke.

"Seriously, Lord Apep?" Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's the point of that?"

_"I've been paying clossse attention to the other membersss of Tokyo Mew Mew."_ Apep revealed. _"And I know for a fact that two of them are in persssonal agony right now. Colette, I assssume you know at leassst one of the two Mew Mewsss I ssspeak of."_

"You mean dear Mint's arranged marriage?" Colette deduced. "Well I do know she's not overly thrilled about it. But what does that have to do with Zakuro Fujiwara?"

_"I know who Mint truly desssiresss."_ Apep revealed. _"Thisss ssstory will only add sssalt to her woundsss."_

"You don't mean… oh. I see." Colette replied. "What a devilish idea, my lord."

"I don't get it." Sasha told her.

"Nor do I." Alyssa agreed.

"I'm sure it'll become clear to you two soon enough." Colette told them. "Connie dear, how close are you to finishing this little project."

"I've finished writing the story and manipulating all the photos." Connie answered. "Just gotta press these two little keys, and… done! It's on the net now. By this evening, every celebrity gossip show will be talking about this."

"Marvelous! Simply delightful." Colette declared. "What now, Lord Apep?"

_"Trojan hasss already deployed a drone armed with the DNA of the Brazilian Yellow Scorpion to create the another Mew Ssslayer."_ Apep revealed. _"Onccce I ssselect the target, she will not only add to your fighting ssstrength, but add fuel to the fire we have sssett."_

* * *

Eve entered her hotel room and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. She was glad that another day of shooting was complete, yet she was also in a foul mood. On the way back, Eve had encountered a mob of paparazzi trying to flash pictures of her exiting a store after buying a candy bar. Eve was sure that the tabloids they worked for were going to blow it out of proportion somehow. It was the same everywhere she went. Everyone wanted to know the dirt on the rich and famous, even if it wasn't real.

"Sometimes I just wish this world would blow up or something." Eve spoke to herself as she sipped from her bottle. "It's all a bunch of lies, anyway."

_"Then perhapsss I can be of aid to you, my dear."_ A snake-like voice spoke, causing Eve to drop her water bottle.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?" Eve demanded to know as she looked around. "Where are you?"

_"Forgive the intrusion. I mean you no harm."_ The voice assured her. _"I am Apep, and I have come to make you an offer."_

"If you're offering me a part, go through my agent." Eve told him.

_"Ssssa ha ha."_ The serpent chuckled. _"I'm not offering you a role, I'm offering you power. The kind of power that would let you burn thisss world to the ground."_

"And I should believe this offer of yours, why?" a skeptical Eve asked. "Don't get me wrong, I kind of like the sound of it. But how do I know it's legitimate? This is playing out like a scene in this B-grade horror movie was in when I was just starting out. I say yes to your deal, then I end up turning into some hideous monster."

_"You'll sssimply have to take a leap of faith."_ Apep answered.

"Faith, huh? I don't really have much of that anymore." Eve replied. "But what the hell. It sounds interesting. Lay this power on me."

_"You won't regret it."_ Apep assured her.

A black shadowy serpent appeared behind Eve and bared its fangs to bite her neck. At the same time, a drone hovered in through the open hotel room window and took aim with its laser.

* * *

The past day and a half had been fairly exhausting for Ichigo. Mainly because she had not been able to get a decent night's sleep since she began her stay at Trojan's building. Even her little catnaps were escaping her. And it was not helping that the old doctor had been piling on the work. Yet despite her dismal situation, things had been fairly peaceful. The Mew Slayers had not made a move since the evening they tried ambushing Ichigo on the way to her home.

As she made her way outside to join the other Mews for lunch, Ichigo noticed a large gathering of students huddled together. Curious, Ichigo went over to see what all the fuss was about. Making her way through the wall of students, Ichigo saw they had all gathered around Eve.

_'Isn't that Eve Peridot, the actress?'_ Ichigo realized. _'What's she doing here? She can't be a student.'_

"So Ms. Peridot, is it true?" one of the other students asked. "You know, the rumor going around about Zakuro Fujiwara and Chad Mathews?"

_'Wait, what about Zakuro?'_ a surprised Ichigo thought.

Eve chuckled at the question. "That little thing? Well, I may as well tell you, since you're all dying to know. That fact is that certain feelings sometimes do blossom on set. And while I can't say anything for sure, dear Zakuro and Chad do spend a lot of time together in between takes."

Ichigo glanced across the crowd and saw Mint on the opposite side. The dark-haired girl had a devastated expression, and Ichigo could tell that she was trying to hold back tears. Before Ichigo could say anything, Mint quickly left through the assembled gathering of students. Ichigo left as well and tried to follow her. But by the time she had gotten out of the mass of Eve's fans, she could see no sign of her fellow Mew.

After a moment, Ichigo decided to go join the others and hope that Mint was with them. She got to their usual spot and found Berry, Lettuce, and Pudding. But no sign of Mint.

"Hi Ichigo." Lettuce greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"Have any of you seen Mint?" Ichigo asked.

"We kind of thought she was with you." Berry answered. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's complicated." Ichigo replied. "What's that actress, Eve Peridot doing at our school?"

"Oh. She actually transferred into my class this morning." Lettuce explained. "The rumor is that she's researching a part for her next movie."

"Her being here is actually the second biggest story going on right now." Berry added.

"Second biggest?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, haven't you heard? The word is that Zakuro has a boyfriend now." Berry answered. "Practically everyone's been talking about it since this morning."

"Talking about what?" a familiar voice interrupted. Everyone looked and saw Zakuro standing only a few feet away.

"Oh! Hi Zakuro." Berry greeted. "We were just talking about the good news. We had no idea that you were seeing someone."

"Seeing someone?" Zakuro repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, your costar Chad." Another familiar voice replied. Zakuro turned around to see Mint standing behind her. "Everyone's talking about it."

"…I see." Zakuro replied after a moment. "You seem pretty upset about it."

"You're damn right I am!" Mint told her. "Zakuro, how could you…?"

"How could I what?" Zakuro responded, cutting her off. "I don't get why you're so upset about this. I mean it's not like you told anyone that your arranged marriage to that kid, Koji. Why should you be the only one with a secret relationship?"

Mint looked like she had been struck through the chest by Zakuro's words. "Yes… of course. You're totally right. Um… excuse me."

"Mint, wait!" Ichigo called as the dark-haired girl ran off in tears.

"Forget it." Zakuro mumbled as she stormed off.

"Zakuro!" Ichigo called. But Zakuro continued to leave.

"What the heck is going on?" a confused Berry wondered.

"Yeah. I would've thought Mint would've been happy for Zakuro." Pudding assumed.

"Pudding, put a sock in it!" Ichigo snapped.

"Ichigo…" surprised Lettuce spoke.

"I'm sorry, but… I don't think any of you guys really understand what's going on here." Ichigo told them. "I have to get going now."

"Wait! Ichigo!" Berry called after her.

_'Damn it, Zakuro!'_ Ichigo mentally cursed as she ran towards the school. _'Why'd she have to make everything worse? This is just like the time we all thought she was leaving Japan.'_

Ichigo went into the school to find both Zakuro and Mint to try to talk to them. But after spending what seemed like twenty-five minuets wandering through the halls and peaking into rooms, Ichigo couldn't find either one of them. With the lunch period ending, Ichigo quickly made her way back outside for one last attempt to track them down.

_'I guess I should just give up and head back to class.'_ Ichigo decided. _'I guess I could try talking to Mint later this afternoon at work, but she probably wouldn't speak to me. Since this whole mess started, she's just been distant. As for Zakuro…'_

"Didn't I see you at my fan session earlier?" a familiar voice asked. Ichigo looked to see Eve walking towards her.

"Oh, it's you." Ichigo responded. "Where do you get off telling everyone a lie like that?"

"I have no idea what you mean." Eve innocently replied.

"I'm talking about what you said about Zakuro and that other actor!" Ichigo told her. "I happen to know for a fact that Zakuro isn't interested in him."

Eve chuckled. "Oh that. Listen girlie, the one thing I've learned is that the truth is a matter of perception. The fact is that the public doesn't care if stories about celebrities are true or not. All they care about is the gossip, a story they can sink their teeth into."

"But if you don't know if the story's true or not…" Ichigo began to respond.

"Oh I know damn well that the story is fake." Eve revealed. "I was just under orders to make it as big as possible."

"Under whose orders?" Ichigo asked.

"Maybe this'll answer your question." Eve replied. "Peridot Cyber Metamorphosis!"

In an instant, Eve became enveloped in a pillar of yellow-green light. The light faded and Eve's hair and eyes had turned yellow-green. She had an eyepiece with a yellow-green lens and a silver ornament at the end of her ponytail to make it look like the tail of a scorpion. She had on a black Mew Slayer costume with yellow-green trim. The notable feature of her costume was that it showed her midriff, revealing a red mark in the form of the number, 05.

"You're a… Mew Slayer." A surprised Ichigo realized.

"Mew Slayer Paridot, to be specific." Eve confirmed. "And your little friends' problems are the least of your worries right now."

"Hey there, kitty cat." A familiar voice greeted. Ichigo turned around to see Sasha and the other Mew Slayers. "Get ready to get thrashed!"

Ichigo quickly pulled a double transformation into her Ancient form and jumped out of the way just as Connie fired a barrage of stingers. But upon dodging the attack, she was struck in the right side by one of Alyssa's toxic bolts. Before Ichigo could fully recover, Colette charged in and slashed Ichigo in the left shoulder with one of her mechanical spider arms. The cat girl suddenly felt herself becoming stiffer.

"Scorpio Whip!" Eve called out.

The gem on Eve's silver bracelet shined and a silver metal whip in the shape of a scorpion's tail appeared in her hand. With a swing of her arm, Eve lashed Ichigo in the chest. The cat girl was knocked to the ground.

"Lord Apep wants her to die slowly and painfully, right?" Eve recalled. "Let's give him a good show."

Suddenly Ichigo cried out and was enveloped in a burst of emerald light. The light faded and Ichigo was back on her feet. Her pupils had become slit-like. Before Eve could fully react, Ichigo charged in and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to her side. Connie fired down another stinger barrage, but Ichigo launched herself into the air to avoid the attack and knock Connie to the ground with a punch. Ichigo landed on her feet and was catching her breath.

"Aw, tired already?" Sasha asked in a mocking tone. "Guess we should wrap this up, huh ladies?"

The gemstones on the bracelets of the Mew Slayers all began to glow. Sasha began to glow with a blood-red aura and rise into the air. Materializing to set on her right shoulder was a silver futuristic-looking bazooka with a barrel shaped like the head of a snake.

"Eat this!" Sasha called out. "Death Serpent Shot!"

"Ribbon Strawberry Slash!" Ichigo called out with a swing of her arm.

The massive red energy blast from Sasha'a bazooka collided with Ichigo's energy blade. The two attacks pushed against one another for several moments, neither one seeming able to push through. Then, just as Sasha's attack seemed to be gaining ground, a ball of orange light and a ball of blue light came down from above and added to Ichigo's attack. The strengthened blade pushed through and struck Sasha, knocking her back to the ground. Meanwhile, Ichigo suddenly passed out and reverted to her civilian form.

"What the hell?" an irritated Sasha cursed as she got back to her feet, her body sparking with energy. "What just happened?"

"Who cares? That loser's down for the count now." Connie pointed out. "Now's our chance to finish her off."

"Don't even try it!" a familiar husky-sounding female voice warned. The Mew Slayers looked up to see the strangers from the previous evening standing atop the roof of the school.

"You two again!" Sasha identified. "This is none of your business!"

"Well we're making it our business!" the blonde stranger told her. "Now get lost!"

"Why you…" Sasha began as aimed her weapon at the duo.

"Wait Ruby! We're still unsure of their strength." Alyssa reminded her. "It's probably best if we retreat for now."

"…Oh fine!" Sasha finally agreed. "But you two jerks better not show up again!" With that, all five Mew Slayers vanished in flashes of multicolored light.

* * *

Ichigo woke up to find that she was laying on a red couch in an unfamiliar room. She turned her head to see Haruka and Michiru standing close by.

"Good, you're finally awake." Michiru observed. "I was starting to get worried."

"Where am I?" Ichigo asked as she slowly sat up. "And how did I get here?"

"You're in my office." Michiru explained. "Haruka and I found you on the ground on the way back from lunch."

_'Did the Mew Slayers give up after I beat Sasha?'_ Ichigo wondered.

"You feeling okay, kid?" Haruka asked.

"I think so." Ichigo replied. "I guess I've been working a little too hard. Plus I haven't been able to sleep lately."

"Maybe you should go to the nurse's office." Michiru suggested.

"No, I'm fine. Really." Ichigo assured them both as she got to her feet. "Thanks for the concern though."

Suddenly the door opened and Trojan walked in. "There you are, Ms. Momomiya. Class has started."

"Dr. Trojan, typically one knocks before entering someone's office." Michiru reminded him.

"Forgive the intrusion, Ms. Kaioh. But it is imperative that Ms. Momomiya stay on top of her studies." Trojan told her.

"Can't you give the kid a break?" Haruka asked. "She seems pretty worn out."

"Out of the question." Trojan replied. "In order for her to improve her grades, it is necessary that she pushes herself to her very limits."

"Even if it means her keeling over?" Haruka asked.

"I don't recall this being any of your business." Trojan replied.

"It's okay." Ichigo assured Haruka and Michiru. "I really should be getting back to class. Thanks for your help though."

With that, Ichigo walked out of the office. Trojan glared at both Michiru and Haruka before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

"I've got a bad feeling about that Trojan guy." Haruka told Michiru.

"Me too." Michiru agreed. "Let's have Luna look into him. I don't think he's pushing Ichigo just to improve her grades."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think one of the hardest parts of writing this story so far has been introducing all of the Mew Slayers. Now that I've gotten that part out of the way, the next two or three chapters will focus more on Zakuro and Mint. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	8. Venom of Desire

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 7: Venom of Desire

Father Ian McLintock had given forty years of his life in service to the church. And now that he had reached the age of sixty-three, he was starting to feel as though he had wasted his life. He had done everything that had been asked of him and went wherever they sent him. He had even uprooted himself to take up a post in Tokyo, but for what? Nobody really needed the church anymore. Not when there were scores of self-help gurus and therapists in the world. God and the church were becoming obsolete.

As Father McLintock sat alone in the church that evening and thought about all this, he also thought about all that he had lost and all that he had given up. He had no family of his own, and any relatives he had were long dead. All his years of faith and sacrifice had left him with nothing.

"Perhaps it was all a waste." Father McLintock said to himself.

_"Come now, Father Mclintock. Your life ssstill hasss sssome purpossse left."_ A snake-like voice suddenly spoke.

The old priest quickly got to his feet. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

_"Yesss, your bitternessss runsss deep."_ Apep continued. _"I can indeed make good ussse of you."_

"What are you talking about?" Father McLintock asked.

Suddenly a massive black shadow in the form of a snake rose up before the old priest. Father McLinktock went pale upon seeing what he was sure was a demon from the very pits of hell.

_"Go ahead, pray to your god."_ Apep dared. _"But then I doubt you truly believe in him anymore. That isss, if you ever did."_

Father McLintock began to scream, but that gave Apep the opening he needed. The black serpent dove into the priest's mouth and slithered into his body down the throat.

* * *

Zakuro entered the old church on the outskirts of the city. She had never been overly religious, but in times of stress and confusion, she would often go to a church to try and think and figure things out. And there was much she needed to figure out. Only hours after her little encounter with Mint, Zakuro had realized she had reacted very badly. At the very least, she needed to figure out how to make things right, but also what to do about her own feelings.

As Zakuro sat down in one of the pews near the back, she thought she was alone. But in moments, Father McLintock began to walk up to her. The old priest's skin was as pale as a sheet and he seemed to be walking with a limp.

"Good evening, child." Father McLintock greeted with a smile that somehow seemed unnatural. "How may I be of ssservice to you?"

"Oh. Good evening, Father." Zakuro greeted. "I just came here to try and figure some stuff out."

"Maybe I can be of help to you." Father McLintock offered as he sat down next to her. "What's troubling you?"

"Well… there's this person that I really care about." Zakuro began. "But I'm afraid I might be losing her. In fact I think I may have pushed her away."

"What makes you ssso sure you're going to lose this person?" the old priest asked.

"Because… I think I may have waited too long to tell this person how I really feel." Zakuro answered.

"Well then, it's your own fault for losing that person." Father McLintock said bluntly. "But then a weak-hearted girl like you could never be able to admit your true feelings to anyone."

"What?" Zakuro asked, surprised that the old priest would say such a thing.

Father McLintock began to chuckle as he stood back up. "Ever since that loss you suffered long ago, you've been afraid to let anyone get close to you. Because of that, you've built a wall around yourself. You've never even let your so-called friends truly get close."

"I think I better go now." An unsettled Zakuro decided as she stood up. But before she could leave, the old priest grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip.

"You're a coward!" Father McLintock continued with a mad grin. His eyes looked like they were about to burst from their sockets. "And it because of your fear that you shall die alone and miserable!"

Zakuro managed to free herself from the old priest's grip and ran out of the church. As soon as she was out of sight, the priest's mouth opened up and Apep's shadowy form emerged. The serpent slithered across the ground after Zakuro. Father McLintock fell to the floor of the church, dead. The thud of his body echoed through the old church.

Outside, Zakuro ran down the sidewalk away from the church as fast as she could. After a few moments, she finally stopped to catch her breath. The old priest's words had truly struck a cord. Zakuro couldn't help but wonder if the reason she had always kept to herself was out of fear. As Zakuro pondered this, Apep silently slithered up behind her with his fangs bared. The model felt an icy sharp pain as his fangs bit down on her neck.

* * *

Ichigo sat in her cell of a room with Coco as they finished off a box of pastries that Coco had smuggled in without her father's knowledge. Meeting Coco was perhaps the only positive part about Ichigo's stay at Trojan's building. She couldn't explain why, but Ichigo found that she had some kind of connection with Coco from the moment they met. And the two had quickly become friends as a result. As they ate, Ichigo told Coco some of what was going on between Zakuro and Mint. Though she left out certain details.

"I just don't know what to do." Ichigo told her as she finished her story. "I just feel like my friends are starting to drift apart."

"There really isn't a lot you can do, Ichigo." Coco replied as she finished up the last cupcake. "This is between your two friends. It's pretty much up to them to figure things out."

"Yeah, but… the thing is I think they've always had these feelings for one another." Ichigo continued. "I'm sure they weren't really anything in the beginning. But the more time past, the more they grew. But then just when it looked like my friends were finally about to admit how they feel about one another, this happens."

"Look, if your friends are really as in love with one another as you think, I'm sure that no amount of arranged marriages or spread rumors will be enough to keep them apart." Coco told her. "You just have to have faith that they'll find a way to overcome all that, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ichigo finally agreed as a small smile came to her face.

"Well, I better get going." Coco decided. "I'm sure my dad will come in any minute to do a spot inspection. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, later." Ichigo replied.

After Coco left the room, Ichigo decided it was time to try and get some sleep. Though she wasn't sure how successful she would be. She had been having difficulty sleeping ever since arriving at Trojan's. Plus she could help but shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen to Zakuro and Mint.

* * *

It was a relatively quiet afternoon on the set of _Die and Die Again_. The crew was between takes, and Mina decided to take the time to enjoy a small snack. Yet the whole time, the blonde's eyes had been on Zakuro. Both Mina and Artemis had noticed something off about her from the moment she had arrived on set. Zakuro looked pale and had bags under her eyes.

As Zakuro sat in her canvas chair, a dashing young man with brown hair wearing a suit walked up to her. This of course was Zakuro and Mina's costar, Chad Mathews.

"Hey there." Chad greeted to Zakuro. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Zakuro responded. "Uh, yeah. I'm just a little out of it this morning for some reason."

"I can understand that. This film's been a killer." Chad declared. "So, have you been hearing about all this stuff the media's been saying about us."

"Yeah. Pretty stupid, huh?" Zakuro replied.

"I don't know. I think we'd make a pretty good couple." Chad stated. "And the truth is… I've had my eye on you for a while now. What do you say to you and me going out after we call it a wrap today?"

A look of rage suddenly came to Zakuro's face. Without warning, she stood up and knocked Chad to the ground with a punch to the eye.

"Listen, pretty boy!" Zakuro shot down in a hate-filled voice. "I don't want to spend a second longer with you any longer than I have to! All those kissing scenes we've had to do have made me want to vomit! If you ever try coming onto me again, I'm gonna rip your freaking head off!"

"Whoa! Zakuro, chill out!" Mina told her. "There are better ways to tell a guy you're not interested in him."

"Shut up, you blonde airhead!" Zakuro shot back. "I don't need any advice from a has been like you!"

"Excuse me?" Mina responded.

Zakuro's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "I, uh… sorry. I don't know what got into me just now. I… I think I'll go back to my trailer for a bit."

With that, Zakuro quickly walked of. Chad meanwhile got back to his feet and dusted himself off.

"You okay, Chad?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Chad assured her. "But I should probably get to makeup and try and have them cover up this black eye."

Chad quickly left in the direction of the makeup trailer. As soon as Mina was alone, Artemis hopped out of his basket and walked over to stand by her leg.

"I think something's really wrong here, Artemis." Mina told the cat. "I don't pretend to know Zakuro all that well, but I can tell that she wasn't herself just now."

"Do you think the enemy's gotten to her somehow?" Artemis theorized.

"I don't know, but we better keep a close eye on her right now." Mina decided. "Something tells me that things are going to get a lot worse."

* * *

Zakuro splashed some cold water on her face in the bathroom of her dressing trailer. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she hadn't felt like herself ever since she left that church the night before. It was as if something had taken her over moments ago when she punched Chad and snapped at Mina.

"What's happening to me?" Zakuro asked herself as she looked at her face in the mirror.

_"What'sss happening is that you're true ssself isss finally emerging."_ Apep spoke. _"Your desssiresss have finally been released."_

"Who are you?" a frightened Zakuro asked. "How… how are you in my head?"

_"Calm yourssself."_ Apep told her. _"I'm merely here to remind you of what you desssire mossst."_

An image of Mint appeared on the mirror. Zakuro couldn't deny that she desired the younger girl. She yearned to have every part of Mint for herself.

_"You want her, don't you?"_ Apep asked. _"But that boy isss ssstanding in your way."_

The image in the mirror changed again to Koji. The mere sight of his face filled Zakuro with anger. After all, he was the one trying to take Mint from her. He had no right to. In a burst of rage, Zakuro punched the mirror, causing the glass to break.

_"Good. Let your anger flow through you."_ Apep praised. _"Tonight you shall kill that boy and take the girl for yourssself."_

Zakuro had never considered murder before, but she couldn't deny that she liked the sound of it. She would kill Koji and finally make Mint her own. She would have Mint, one way or another.

* * *

_She stood at the head of the ship, ready to make the critical move. The horrid creature towered before her. But as massive as the thing was, her father and his forces had already weakened it. The demon would soon die. At last the moment came, the moment when the creature was vulnerable. The chaos would soon finally be over._

_But just as she was about to lunge in for the final attack, something struck her in the back. Something had stabbed her. Staggering, she turned around. The one that threw the weapon that had impaled her was a muscular humanoid being with the head that resembled that of a dog or a jackal. She remembered the creature as a trusted mentor, which made what had just happened all the more shocking._

_"Seth… why?" she managed to utter._

_"For the glory of my new master." The jackal-headed man coldly answered. "The age of war and chaos shall soon begin."_

_She tried to say something, but no words would come out. She collapsed and everything went black._

_The last thing she heard was the sound of her sister screaming her name. "Bastet! Bastet!"_

* * *

Ichigo shot up in her bed, cold sweat dripping down her brow. After school she had decided to skip work for the day to try and get some sleep. Unfortunately, her attempt at rest had resulted in a nightmare.

_'That felt… so real.'_ Ichigo thought as she caught her breath. _'What does this mean?'_

Before Ichigo could fully ponder the nightmare, an image of Zakuro popped into her head. She could feel that something was urgently wrong, but she didn't know what or how.

_'I have to get to Zakuro.'_ She decided.

Ichigo transformed into her normal Mew Mew form and jumped out through the window into the city. Night was approaching, and Ichigo hoped that she could make it to Zakuro in time.

* * *

Mint walked into a small yet elegant sidewalk café with Koji at her side. The place was a nice out of the way spot that Koji had picked for their date. Mint really didn't care where they went though. She was just going through the motions as she had been doing on each on of their dates. The two were seated at a booth by a window facing the street.

"My cousin recommended this place to me." Koji informed Mint. "She said the food here is some of the best in Tokyo."

"Uh-huh." Mint responded. She had the feeling she was going to be in for a long evening.

"Oh, I got a call from my mother this morning." Koji continued. "She wanted me to invite you along on our trip to Paris this year. I didn't think you'd mind, so I said you'd come. I hope that's okay."

"Oh… yeah, that's fine." Mint agreed.

"You know something funny happened to my father the last time we were there." Koji continued. "He went into this hat shop once, and it seems he misread the price for…"

At this point, Mint's mind pretty much checked out. The one thing she disliked most about Koji was the way he would talk on and on about meaningless topics. He was far from being the person Mint wanted to be with. But the one Mint wanted to be with the most was now out of her reach. Mint couldn't help but think that if she had worked up the courage to tell Zakuro how she really felt sooner, things might've turned out differently. But as it was, it seemed that Zakuro had found someone else.

Mint couldn't blame Zakuro of course. As far as Zakuro knew, Mint had already been spoken for. Plus there was the little fact that they were both girls. Mint had to consider that perhaps their love was never meant to be. It seemed that the only thing left for her to do was to try and somehow learn to live with Koji. It was after all what was expected of her

* * *

It seemed to Ichigo like she had been jumping between rooftops for almost half an hour. She didn't know how, but she could sense that she was getting close to Zakuro. At last Ichigo spotted her atop on of the buildings standing near the edge. Immediately she went to that roof.

"Zakuro?" Ichigo called as she approached.

Right away, Ichigo could tell that something was off. The model had not at all reacted to the sound of her voice. Ichigo walked to the edge of the roof and saw what Zakuro was looking at. In one of the windows she could see Koji and Mint sitting inside a café. She looked at Zakuro and saw the dark look in her eyes.

"Zakuro, what are you going to do?" Ichigo asked.

"…Mint's mine." Zakuro responded. Her eyes were still fixed on the window. "That little punk has to die."

"Die?" a stunned Ichigo repeated. "Zakuro, I know how you feel about Mint, but killing Koji isn't the answer!"

_"SSSSAA HA HA HA HAAA!"_ Apep suddenly laughed. _"It isss ussselesssss to try and reassson with her, Basssstett. Zakuro hasss been infusssed with my venom. She isss now lossst in her desssiresss, and can now only hear my voiccce."_

"What are you saying?" Ichigo asked. "What did you do to Zakuro?"

_"Let me show you."_ Apep replied. _"Zakuro, that girl isss trying to ssstand in your way of getting Mint. You know what to do to, don't you? You mussst kill her."_

"Kill her." Zakuro repeated as she looked at Ichigo.

"Zakuro?" a worried Ichigo responded.

Suddenly Zakuro cried out and became enveloped in a pillar of black energy. The energy faded to reveal Zakuro in a much darker version of her Mew Mew form. Her skin had become chalk white and her hair had turned silver. The fur of her wolf ears and tail had turned black. Her costume had turned black as well, with her collar and wristbands now covered completely in black fur. Her cheeks had become decorated with black horizontal claw-like marks, and black circles surrounded her red eyes.

_"Now you have two choicccesss, Basssstett."_ Apep told her. _"You must either kill your friend, or be killed yourssself."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Truth be told, I had some doubts about how I wrote those first two scenes with the priest. I kind of wondered if it wasn't too over the top. On the other hand, I felt they were good scenes, so I went ahead with them. I hope nobody was bothered.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	9. Confession

**Author's Note:** There's going to be another very special "guest star" appearing in this chapter. I'm pretty sure everyone will be able to figure out who she is when she shows up.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 8: Confession

"Snap out of it, Zakuro!" Ichigo called. "This isn't you!"

Zakuro's response was to snarl and bare her teeth, revealing that her incisors had become fangs. Before Ichigo could fully react, Zakuro charged in and grabbed her by the neck. The cat girl gasped for air, as Zakuro lifted her off the ground. After a moment, Zakuro tossed Ichigo away as if she were a rag doll. Ichigo quickly recovered and kept herself from falling off the edge of the roof.

"Mew Mew Ancient Metamorposis!" Ichigo called out. In a flash of emerald light, she transformed to her Ancient form. "I don't want to fight you, Zakuro!"

_"You have no choiccce."_ Apep told her. _"Your friend isss now nothing more than a beassst driven by desssire and rage. Right now you're ssstanding in the way of what she wantsss. The only was for you to sssurvive isss to kill her."_

Zakuro charged in to deliver another blow. Reacting quickly, Ichigo struck Zakuro in the stomach with a kick, knocking the wolf girl back seven feet. Zakuro quickly rose to her feet and howled. Black energy surrounded her hands and formed into a pair of black fingerless gloves. Protruding from the back of each glove was a set of three long blades. Zakuro charged in again and slashed at Ichigo with the blades on her right hand, forcing her to quickly block the strike with the back of her armored gauntlet.

Despite Zakuro's monstrous strength, Ichigo managed to force Zakuro back and hit her with a roundhouse kick to the side. The savage wolf girl was knocked back down, but quickly got right back up.

"We have to stop this, Zakuro!" Ichigo begged. "I know that the real you is in there somewhere! You have to fight whatever's happening to you!"

The wolf girl merely howled again and rushed at Ichigo, slashing at her with her bladed gloves. Ichigo quickly managed to duck and weave out of the way of each slash. Zakuro then caught Ichigo off guard with a kick to her left side, sending the cat girl flying to the other side of the roof.

_"You're wasssting you time, Basssstett."_ Apep told Ichigo as she got back up. _"Your wordsss will never reach your friend. You mussst kill her, or die."_

* * *

Mina, Artemis, Haruka, and Michiru stood atop the roof of another building that overlooked the spot where Ichigo and Zakuro were fightning. Haruka, Michiru, and Mina were still in their civilian forms, but the three were seriously considering transforming and joining the battle.

"This is worse than we thought." Mina declared. "I don't know how this enemy could've gotten to Zakuro with Artemis and I keeping watch."

"He's obviously a lot more powerful than we thought." Haruka observed. "I'm not sure if there was really anything any of us could do to keep this from happening."

"The question is what do we do now?" Artemis wondered.

"The way I see it, there's only one option." Haruka answered. "Thanks to the enemy, Zakuro's become a mad dog, and our little cat girl isn't willing to fight her. We may have no choice but to put her down."

"Do you really think that's the only way?" a surprised Michiru asked.

"Really, Haruka! There has to be something else we can do!" Mina told her.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas." Haruka told her. "What else can we do?"

"We wait." A female voice interrupted.

Haruka and the others turned around to see that another young woman had arrived. Her face was obscured by the shadow of another building, but the four all knew who she was. Standing at the young woman's feet was Luna.

"Do you really just expect us to sit on our hands while this is going on?" Haruka asked. "There's no way Mew Ichigo is going to fight her friend."

"Perhaps. But I think Mew Ichigo will be able to resolve this another way." The stranger replied. "I know you're worried about her, Haruka. That's why you want to jump in and save her. But we have to have faith in Mew Ichigo's abilities."

"She's proven herself quite capable so far." Luna pointed out. "I'm sure she'll find her own way out of this situation."

"Let's just wait a little longer, 'kay?" the stranger requested.

Haruka gave a defeated sigh. "Okay. You win, Usagi."

* * *

The battle between Ichigo and Zakuro raged on, and the whole time Ichigo had been merely blocking or evading the wolf girl's attacks. The cat girl was starting to run out of steam, yet she couldn't bring herself to attack Zakuro. As time went on, it was getting harder and harder to block or avoid Zakuro's attacks. The wolf girl hit Ichigo in the stomach with her knee, knocking her on her side.

_"How much longer will you continue to wassste you time?"_ Apep asked Ichigo as she slowly got back up. _"You'll never get out of thisss by fighting defensssively. Either kill her or sssurender."_

_'I… I can't do this!'_ Ichigo thought. _'Zakuro's one of my best friends. I can't fight her! But… how can I save her? How can I bring her back to the way she was? It's becoming hopeless!'_

_'Don't give up, Bastet.'_ A soothing male voice spoke in Ichigo's head. _'You are the light that can cast away the strongest darkness. You have all you need to save your friend.'_

Ichigo felt that she knew the voice somehow. With the voice came a brief image of a man clad in golden armor that shined like the sun. The image was somehow warm and nostalgic. Suddenly Ichigo knew how to end the battle.

_"Ssso, have you finally decccided to take this battle ssseriousssly?"_ Apep asked as Ichigo finally stood back up.

Ichigo merely closed her eyes. "Rose Strawberry Sistrum!"

The bell and ribbon tied to Ichigo's tail suddenly turned to a ball of green light that flew into her right hand. The light formed into an instrument with a pink heart-shaped ring with an emerald handle at the bottom. On the top of the heart-shaped ring was a green bow with a golden heart in the center. Strung horizontally through the center of the ring were three golden metal rods. Suddenly Ichigo began to glow with a dazzling golden aura.

_"What?"_ Apep exclaimed. _"What isss this power?"_

"O vile darkness that corrupts this pure soul! O wicked venom that poison's this pure heart!" Ichigo chanted in an echoing voice. "By the light of order, I cast thee out!"

_"NO!"_ Apep spat. _"Damn you Ra! Damn your interferenccce!"_

"Ribbon… Exorcism Ray!" Ichigo called out as she waved her sistrum.

The instrument reverberated with a chime before shooting a massive blast of golden light at Zakuro. The wolf girl howled as a black energy shot out of her back. The dark energy took the form of a massive black serpent.

_"NNOOOOOOOOO!"_ the serpent cried out at the light destroyed it.

In moments, the golden light finally faded and the darkness of night returned. Zakuro changed back to her civilian form and collapsed. Ichigo quickly ran to Zakuro's side.

"Zakuro!" Ichigo called as she kneeled down and lifted her up. "Zakuro, are you okay? Say something!"

After a moment, Zakuro began repeating a single word over and over again. Ichigo leaned in closer to hear what the wolf girl was saying. "Mint… Mint…"

Ichigo began to tear up. "Okay, I'll get you to Mint. Just hang on."

With that, Ichigo picked Zakuro up and jumped to the next roof. Her destination was Mint's mansion.

* * *

Trojan and the Mew Slayers had been watching Ichigo and Zakuro's battle from the lab through a surveillance drone. All six had been stunned by the power Ichigo had displayed. Suddenly the large red orb inside the lab began to glow blood red. Apep's snake-like form could be seen inside slithering and thrashing around. The serpent was roaring and cursing in a snake-like tongue.

"Are you all right, Lord Apep?" Trojan asked.

_"Damn Ra and hissssss wretched light!"_ Apep shouted. _"I shall make him pay with the blood of hissss precioussss daughter!"_

"My lord, there is still much I am learning about Mew Ichigo's regenerative powers." Trojan told him. "I need more time to figure out how to replicate her powers if I am to save my daughter's life."

_"Your experiment endsss now, Trojan!"_ Apep told him. _"Basssstett shall die!"_

"We had a bargain!" an outraged Trojan reminded the serpent. "I agreed to give you an army to hale your revival in return for the knowledge to save my daughter's life! I have made good on my end of the deal, yet I still do not have what I want!"

_"Fine then!"_ Apep responded. _"I shall deliver you Basssstett'sss corpssse!"_

* * *

Mint walked into her room after coming back from her long date with Koji. She was surprised she had been able to stay awake the entire time. But what Mint saw when she glanced at her bed made her far more wide-awake than before. Zakuro was lying on her bed unconscious. Her skin was so pale that Mint almost thought she looked like a corpse.

"Zakuro?" a concerned Mint called as she hesitantly walked over. "Are… are you okay?"

Suddenly Zakuro's eyes shot open and she sat up, gasping. It was as if she had just woken up from a nightmare.

"Zakuro?" Mint called again.

Zakuro looked at the younger girl with a terrified expression. "Mint? Where… where am I?"

"You're in my room." Mint answered. "You don't remember how you got here?"

"How I… I don't know." Zakuro responded. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"Just, just stay calm." Mint told her. "I'll, uh… I'll go get some help."

"Wait!" Zakuro called out as she suddenly grabbed Mint by the wrist.

"Zakuro! You're hurting my arm!" Mint told her.

"Don't… don't leave me." Zakuro pleaded. "I, I don't know what's happening to me. I don't feel like myself right now. I almost feel like I'm dying."

"It's okay!" Mint assured her. "I'm not going anywhere. You're… you're not going to die, okay?"

"I have to tell you something Mint." Zakuro continued. "I… I love you."

Mint's eyes went wide. "You… what?"

"I've had feelings for you for a long time now." Zakuro revealed. "But I could never bring myself to tell you. You remember how hard it was to open up to you and the others. But right now I feel like this is the last chance I'll have to tell you. I love you Mint, and… I don't want you to leave me."

Mint quickly broke down in tears. "I… love you too. And I'm not going to leave you, ever."

"What about that boy?" Zakuro asked.

"Damn it, Koji is nothing to me!" Mint told her. "He's just someone my father promised me to. But I don't care! You're the one I love most."

"Mint." Zakuro responded with a tearful smile.

The two looked deeply into one another's eyes. Seconds passed, and soon they became locked in a passionate kiss.

* * *

Ichigo had overheard the entire conversation through the window she had left open a crack. She had stayed behind to make sure Mint found Zakuro okay. What Ichigo had just heard had put a tearful smile on her face.

_'I hope those two find the same kind of joy Masaya and I have.'_ Ichigo thought.

With Zakuro in good hands, Ichigo jumped off into the night back towards Trojan's. As she leapt from roof to roof, the cat girl thought of Apep and all the damage he had done. She thought about all the pain and suffering the serpent had put Zakuro and Mint through. And the more Ichigo thought about it, the more her anger began to rise.

_'This has gone too far.'_ Ichigo thought. _'I still have no clue what Apep is, but I'm going to destroy him!'_

* * *

**Author's Note:** For those who're wondering what the heck a sistrum is, it's a sort of rattle used during Ancient Egypt. It apparently makes a sort of clanging sound, from what I've read. Pictures of this instrument can of course be found online. Anyway, back when I was brushing up on my Egyptian mythology in preparation for this story, I ran across a bit of info that mentioned Bastet was often depicted using a sistrum. It reminded me of Ichigo's Strawberry Bell weapon, so I decided to use a sistrum as one of the weapons of Ichigo's Ancient form besides her claw gauntlet.

The battle between Ichigo and Apep is about to heat up, so stay tuned. In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	10. Bastet

**Author's Note:** I had intended to get this chapter up sooner, but I ended up contracting some kind of stomach virus over the weekend. I seem to be all better now though. Still, I seem to be experiencing all kinds of setbacks with this story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 9: Bastet

Mint awoke to the gentle sound of birds singing outside her window. Right away she could tell something was different. She could feel a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her. Upon opening her eyes, Mint saw Zakuro's sleeping face only inches away from her own. The events of the previous night came back to Mint in an instant. Zakuro had confessed to Mint how she truly felt about her.

Never before had Mint felt such an intense mixture of joy and concern. She was overjoyed that she and Zakuro shared the same feelings for one another, despite all that had happened over the past few days. Yet at the same time, Mint was also worried a great deal for Zakuro. For one thing, she had no idea how the wolf girl had ended up in her room. But even more troubling was Zakuro's condition.

Mint had never seen Zakuro so terrified before. Not even when she had to face an insect-based Chimera Anima. To Mint, Zakuro had seemed like a frightened puppy the night before, and it was absolutely heart breaking. Zakuro had calmed down a bit after they had kissed, but Mint was at a loss as to what to do. What certainly didn't help matters was that Zakuro also seemed quite ill. Mint had wanted to call a doctor, but Zakuro didn't seem to want anything to do with the idea. Plus Mint wasn't sure how to explain how Zakuro had even ended up in her room.

Slowly, Zakuro opened her eyes and saw Mint. "Oh. Uh, good morning."

"Good morning." Mint greeted back. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little, I think." Zakuro answered.

Mint put her hand to Zakuro's forehead. "You seem to be running a small fever. I think you should stay here for today."

"Okay." Zakuro agreed.

Mint could still detect a slight look of fright in Zakuro's eyes. It wasn't as bad as the night before, but Mint could tell that Zakuro still wasn't quite herself. Suddenly a ringing sound came from Zakuro's jacket pocket. It was then that Mint realized that they had fallen asleep fully dressed on top of the covers.

Zakuro pulled a cell phone out of her ringing pocket. "It's my agent. They're probably expecting me back on set."

"Let me handle it." Mint requested. After Zakuro handed her the phone, Mint took a deep breath and answered. "This is Zakuro Fujiwara's phone. How may I help you?"

_"What the?"_ a surprised female voice responded on the other end. _"Who the hell is this? And more importantly, where the hell is Zakuro?"_

"I happen to be a very dear friend of Zakuro's." Mint explained. "And I'm answering her phone because I'm afraid she's too sick to come filing today."

_"Too sick?"_ the voice on the other end repeated in an outraged tone. _"The director has been shouting at me for the past twelve minutes asking me where she is! The film's already way behind schedule after she just stormed off yesterday! You tell her to get down here right now!"_

"Listen, you!" Mint responded in a less than diplomatic tone. "I don't care about your schedule or this big movie of yours! Zakuro is in no condition to work today! If you have a problem with that, than too bad!" With that, Mint hung up and set the phone on the nightstand, making sure to shut the infernal device off first.

"Maybe I should go to the set." Zakuro suggested.

"I won't hear of it." Mint told her. "You're staying here today, and that's that."

"Okay. If you think that's best." Zakuro agreed. "Mint, are you… mad at me?"

Mint looked at Zakuro with a look of surprise. "Of course not. I'm just really worried about you. I've never seen you like this before, Zakuro. That's why I want to make sure you get plenty of rest right now."

The conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Mint sighed and walked over to open it a crack. Standing on the other side was one of the numerous maids that served at the Aizawa mansion.

"Ms. Mint, I've come to wake you for school." The maid explained.

"Oh, thank you Sayoko." Mint responded in a somewhat whispery voice. "But could you be so kind as to call the school and tell them I won't be coming in today? It seems I've come down with a sore throat."

"Oh! Of course, Ms." Sayoko quickly responded. "You just get back into bed and I'll be by to check on you later."

Mint firmly shut the door as soon as the maid left. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went back over and sat down on the bed.

"Are you sure it's okay you did that?" Zakuro asked.

"Well I certainly can't leave while you're staying here." Mint pointed out. "Especially not while you're in this condition." She then noticed that Zakuro was starting to shiver. "You cold?"

"Uh-huh." Zakuro confirimed.

Mint quickly went over to her closet and pulled out a grey t-shirt and black pair of shorts. "Here, change into these. I'll be just a moment."

As Mint changed into her usual set of frilly pajamas, Zakuro changed out of her current outfit and into the clothes Mint had given her. Once changed, the two of them got back into bed under the covers. Zakuro wrapped her arms around Mint tightly again, clinging on for warmth. Mint's heart raced a bit at first, but slowly she relaxed into it. It was not long before the two girls drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Ichigo arrived at school feeling like a walking corpse. Once again she had failed to get very much sleep. Though this time it was due to thoughts of Zakuro and Mint. Ichigo couldn't help but worry about the two of them. Upon arriving in the classroom, Ichigo saw Berry in her usual seat. But Mint's seat was empty.

"Good morning, Ichigo." Berry greeted.

"Morning." Ichigo greeted back. "Where's Mint?"

"She didn't show up today." Berry answered. "The word is that she's sick. You're not looking so good yourself, Ichigo. Maybe you're catching what Mint has."

"Oh, I just stayed up too late working again." Ichigo replied. "Nothing to worry about."

"Boy, Dr. Trojan sure works you pretty hard." Berry observed. "Maybe you should have a talk with him."

"I doubt it would do any good." Ichigo assumed. "Besides, it won't go on forever."

"I guess." Berry replied. "Speaking of Dr. Trojan, we better sit down before he gets in."

Ichigo nodded in agreement and sat in her seat, doing her best not to doze off. As she waited for class to begin, Ichigo mentally decided to pay Mint and Zakuro a visit after school.

* * *

After taking a two-hour nap, Zakuro and Mint spent a peaceful day at the Aizawa mansion. Mint was relieved to see Zakuro acting more like her normal self. Though it seemed like she was still a bit ill. Yet it also seemed as though Zakuro had gotten through the worst of what had come over her. Deciding that they needed a bit of fresh air, the two of them had gone out to sit on a swinging bench in the mansion's massive backyard.

"So this morning when your agent called, she mentioned something happening on set yesterday." Mint recalled in an attempt to make conversation. "What happened?"

It took a moment for Zakuro to remember the incident in question. "Oh yeah, I punched Chad Mathews in the face after he tried asking me to go out with him. I don't even know what got into me."

A look of sadness overtook Mint's face. "I'm sorry I believed that story about you and Chad. I should've known…"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Zakuro told her. "It's not like we were in an actual relationship when all this started."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Mint admitted. "Maybe we could've avoided all this if we had just been honest about our feelings much sooner."

"Probably." Zakuro agreed. "But we're together now, right? Let's just forget about what happened in the past and start fresh, okay?"

A tearful smile came to Mint's face. "I'd love that."

The two of them looked at one another for a moment. Zakuro leaned towards Mint, and soon they were locked in deep kiss.

* * *

Koji arrived at the Aizawa mansion to pay Mint a surprise visit. Ever since his return to Japan, Koji had felt like he was on top of the world. He had always been smitten with Mint ever since that day they met years ago. Koji had always thought that they were perfect for one another. Now that they were dating, Koji felt that his life had finally become perfect.

Upon his arrival at the mansion, Koji was informed by one of the maids that Mint was out in the backyard. Koji went to the spot the maid told him about, but was completely unprepared for what he saw. There only a few feet before him on the swinging bench was Mint, pinned under Zakuro. The wolf girl was busy planting passionate kisses of Mint's neck. Neither of them was aware of Koji's arrival.

Silently, Koji ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. But no matter how hard he ran he could not shake the image of what he had just seen. Koji finally stopped running once he had gotten at least four blocks away from the mansion. The dark-haired boy tried to catch his breath and process the emotions he was feeling, trying to find some explanation for what happened.

"Maybe… maybe Mint and that girl were rehearsing a play." Koji theorized. "I mean they do go to the same all girl school."

_"Even you can't be naïve enough to believe that, boy."_ A snake-like voice spoke.

"Who said that?" a startled Koji demanded to know.

_"You really are pathetic."_ Apep continued. _"Even if that girl did desssire the company of men, you are the lassst one she would want. You are nothing more than a dull dreary excussse for a young man who'sss led a mediocre life. The only reassson that girl ever bothered with you wasss becaussse of her father and yoursss. That girl could never love sssomeone like you."_

"No… no, you're wrong!" Koji angrily denied. "Mint does love me! I'm nothing like what you say I am!"

_"Good. You're anger isss ssstrong."_ Apep praised. _"It ssseemsss I can ussse you after all."_

"What're you…?" Koji began to ask.

Before he could finish his question, a massive shadowy black snake appeared before him. Koji opened his mouth to scream, allowing Apep the opportunity to dive into his mouth and slither down his throat.

* * *

Ichigo walked towards to Aizawa mansion. On her way there, she saw Koji walking towards her. Right of the bat, she noticed something odd about the dark-haired young man. His skin seemed far too pale and something seemed off about the way he walked. It was as if he wasn't used to using legs.

_'I guess Koji's just getting back from seeing Mint.'_ Ichigo thought. _'I wonder if he knows about her and Zakuro? This could get messy.'_

"Well hello there." Koji greeted as he and Ichigo met.

"Uh, hi Koji." Ichigo greeted back. "I'm Mint's friend, Ichigo Momomiya. We met at that party for you and her, remember?"

"Oh, I remember you quite well… Basssstett." Koji replied, saying the last word in a snake-like voice.

An alarm went off in Ichigo's mind. "Apep? How are you talking through Koji?"

"I've merely borrowed this boy's boy." The serpent explained in Koji's voice. "Unfortunately for him, it's always fatal when my astral form possessed a human body. Now he's nothing more than a corpse acting as my puppet."

"You mean… you killed him?" a horrified Ichigo realized.

"Come now, Bastet. I think you'd be thanking me." The undead Koji replied. "I've just made the lives of your two friends ssso much easier. Not that they have that much longer to live though. Once I deal with you, I'm going to kill them next."

"You bastard!" Ichigo cursed. "You stay away from Mint and Zakuro!"

"You're going to have to make me." Koji told her. "But first this body is going to need a few… adjustments."

Koji began chanting words in a snake-like tongue. Suddenly his body became enveloped in a pillar of black energy. The energy faded, and in Koji's place was a fifteen-foot tall snake-like monstrosity that towered over Ichigo. Its scales were pitch-black, and its eyes were round and red. It had long thin arms with finger that ended in purple claws. Covering its torso was a piece of black armor with silver trim. Its tail ended in a long curved purple blade.

"Not the ssstrongessst avatar I've ever created," Apep admitted, "but it will ssserve itsss purpossse."

"So you're finally facing me yourself, huh coward?" Ichigo observed.

"I would've faccced you persssonally from the ssstart had your father not sssealed me away in that dark dimension." Apep replied. "Asss it is, I can only project myssself into thisss world asss a ssspirit. But asss you can sssee, I am far from powerlessss."

"No matter how much power you have, I'm taking you down right now!" Ichigo declared.

With that, Ichigo jumped back and performed a quick double transformation to her Ancient form. The cat girl took a fighting stance as she waited for Apep to make his move. The two combatants starred on another down for several moments. As Ichigo looked at the serpent creature before her, she not only felt great fear but loathing as well. Cats and snakes had been natural enemies for untold ages. The instinct to hate and fear snakes was in a cat's DNA, but with Apep the instinct was much greater.

At last Apep made his move and fired a blast of black energy from his mouth at Ichigo. The cat girl swiftly jumped backward again to avoid the attack. The two went back to staring at one another for several moments, each waiting for the other to make a move. During that time, Ichigo let out a feline hiss at Apep. Once again, Apep made the first move and launched the end of his tail at Ichigo.

Ichigo leapt out of the way and delivered a flying kick to the serpent creature's chest. Apep was knocked backwards ten feet. The serpent soon got back up and blasted Ichigo with another dark blast. Ichigo jumped away from the attack, only for Apep to charge at her and strike her with his tail. Though the blade didn't hit her, the force of the tail was enough to sent Ichigo into the side of a car parked on the side of the street, causing a massive dent in the vehicle. Despite being shaken, Ichigo soon got back to her feet and readied herself for the serpent's next move.

"You're enduring better than I excccpected." Apep commented.

"There's no way I'm going to lose to you!" Ichigo defiantly declared. "You're the most horrid monster I've ever had to fight. The sight of you makes me sick! You've hurt and manipulated my friends and family, and I'm not going to stop fighting until you're dead!"

"Then go ahead and end me, Daughter of Ra." Apep dared.

Ichigo charged at Apep and jumped into the air to deliver another flying kick. But before she could strike, Apep knocked her aside with another swing of his tail. Ichigo hit the ground hard enough to make a small dent in the concrete. Before Ichigo could get back up, Apep hit her with another black blast. When the attack ended, Ichigo was on the ground in the center of a smoldering crater.

"It ssseemsss you were not assss ssstrong assss you thought." Apep remarked. "Thisss endsss now."

Before Apep could launch another attack, a pillar of emerald light shot up from that crater. The light faded and Ichigo was back on her feet and glowing with a golden aura. Her sistrum weapon had appeared in her right hand.

"What?" a surprised Apep exclaimed.

"O wicked avatar of darkness! By the light of order, I return thee to dust!" Ichigo chanted in an echoing voice. "Ribbon… Strawberry Chime!"

Ichigo waved her sistrum and fired a beam of pink light at Apep. Cracks of white light began to form on the serpent monster's body as it roared in pain. The beast soon shattered and exploded in a blast of golden energy. The only thing left of the thing was a pile of dust that blew away in the wind.

Ichigo stood catching her breath. "I did it."

_"Yesss, you win that round."_ Apep's voice spoke, starting Ichigo.

"No… you can't be…!" Ichigo denied. "I just blew you away!"

_"Ssssa ha ha ha haa."_ Apep chuckled. _"You forget, Basssstett. That body of mine wasss merely a borrowed avatar. Nothing more than a puppet of twisssted flesh and bone. But don't worry. Our game will end sssoon. Only I shall be the one who winsss."_

With that, Apep's laughter faded into the wind. Ichigo could tell that the serpent had left. After a moment, Ichigo decided that she would try checking on Mint and Zakuro another time. The battle had taken a toll on her, so she decided to head back to Trojan's.

* * *

Haruka sat and Michiru down the street from where the battle had taken place in Haruka's yellow Ferrari. They had seen the whole incident through binoculars. Once the battle was over, they both put down their binoculars and sighed.

"Well, it looks like our little cat girl was able to win another one." Haruka observed.

"Yes, but it's a shame that boy had to die." Michiru pointed out.

"No kidding." The blonde agreed. "Who knew this enemy was able to use human bodies as temporary hosts? We'll just have to let Luna try and clean up the mess."

"In the meantime, it's starting to look like we may have to become more involved in all this." Michiru observed.

"Looks that way." Haruka agreed as they drove off.

* * *

Coco headed for Ichigo's room with a grocery bag of ice cream in hand. She felt that the redhead could use another little treat. Especially when she considered how hard her father seemed to force Ichigo to work. Coco had never imagined that she would end up forming such a close bond with Ichigo. The cat girl had ended up becoming the little sister that Coco never had.

As soon as Coco opened the door, she saw Ichigo coming in through the window. The feline hero was still in her Ancient form.

"What the hell?" a surprised Coco exclaimed.

"Uh, Coco!" a startled Ichigo responded. "I… uh, I can explain."

"Ichigo, is that you?" Coco realized.

Before Ichigo could respond, she suddenly collapsed to the floor and reverted to her civilian form. Coco dropped the bag she was holding to the floor and ran to her side.

"Hey! You okay?" a concerned Coco asked as she knelt down and lifted her up. "Ichigo!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter was one of the chapters in this story I was most looking forward to writing. Not only does it move Zakuro and Mint's relationship forward a little, it also shows Ichigo and Apep's first actual confrontation. Part of the reason why I wanted to do this series was to show Ichigo fighting a snake-like enemy. That's one of the inspirations behind this series, the age-old battle between cats and snakes.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	11. The Goddess Project

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 10: The Goddess Project

Ichigo slowly awoke to see Coco's face looking down at her. She noticed an expression of concern on the older girl's face. It took a moment for Ichigo's brain to recall just what had happened. Suddenly she finally remembered herself coming in through the window as a Mew Mew just as Coco entered the room. Ichigo shot up on the bed, an action that caused her sore muscles to protest.

"Take it easy." Coco told her. "You're obviously beat."

"So… I guess you know, huh?" Ichigo assumed.

"Yeah. But don't worry, you're secret's safe with me." Coco assured her. "I never would've guessed that you're part of that Tokyo Mew Mew gang that protects the city. Can I ask you something though?"

"Sure." Ichigo replied.

"What's with the cat ears and tail?" Coco inquired.

Ichigo suddenly realized that the surprise of Coco finding out she was a Mew Mew had caused her cat ears and tail to pop out. She quickly willed them to vanish, causing Coco to chuckle a little.

"Yeah, those pop out when I'm surprised or excited." Ichigo explained. "It's just one of the little side effects of my powers. Sort of made dating Masaya pretty difficult for a while."

"I can imagine." Coco replied with a wide grin. "So does Masaya know that you're a Mew Mew then?"

"Yeah." Ichigo confirmed. "In fact, he's the Blue Knight."

"I guess that explains why the two of you are usually seen together on the news." Coco realized. Her expression then turned serious. "So Ichigo, were you just in some kind of battle a few minutes ago or something."

"…I'm sorry, Coco. I can't really tell you about it." Ichigo told her. "It's kind of complicated."

"Hey, if you don't feel like telling me, that's okay." Coco assured her. "There probably wouldn't be anything I could do to help anyway."

"Trust me, it's a lot better if I handled this problem on my own." Ichigo confirmed.

"Okay then. Well, I'll get out of here and let you get some rest." Coco decided. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Later, Coco." Ichigo replied.

With that, Coco left the room. Though not before shooting a worried glance at Ichigo. Once again alone, Ichigo collapsed back onto the bed to try and get some more sleep.

* * *

Masaya stood outside the house of his adopted grandmother. It was a small house in the country. The nearest town was at least twenty-five miles away. In the past, Masaya had always enjoyed coming to his grandmother's place. It was one of the few places left on the planet that was untouched by pollution. But Masaya had been unable to enjoy himself this visit, and not just because of his grandmother's illness. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening back in Tokyo.

"Long time no see, loser." A very familiar voice greeted. Masaya turned around to see Kish landing on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Masaya asked with a suspicious glare.

"I just dropped by to see how good a job you're doing protecting Ichigo." Kish explained. "And from where I'm standing, it looks to me like you've screwed up."

"You better watch it." Masaya warned.

"Or what? I doubt you have what it takes to face me anymore." Kish taunted. "But what the hell? Why don't you show me what you've got?"

"You're asking for it!" Masaya told him before becoming enveloped in a pillar of blue light.

The energy around Masaya faded to reveal him in his Blue Knight form. Kish produced his pair of sai and flew at Masaya full speed. Masaya charged in to meet the pointed eared alien half way. Kish thrust his two weapons at his opponent, only for them to be blocked by Masaya's sword. With some difficulty, the blonde warrior cut his sword through one of Kish's blades, cutting it in half. Masaya then took the opportunity to knock Kish to the ground with his left fist. Before Kish could get back up, Masaya put his foot on the alien's chest and brought the blade of his sword down inches in front of Kish's face.

"Looks like you haven't lost your touch after all." Kish admitted with a cocky grin. "But you still screwed up protecting Ichigo."

"You better watch what you say right now." Masaya warned.

"Gentlemen, please! There's hardly any need for violence." Another familiar voice interrupted.

Masaya turned his head to see Moreau standing a few feet away in a white suit with a powder blue tie. Montgomery was with him in his usual black suit.

"Anton Moreau." Masaya identified. "You're with Kish?"

"It's a long story, but yes." Moreau confirmed. "Now if you'll kindly put away your sword, we can all have a civilized chat."

After a moment, Masaya lowered his weapon and took his foot off of Kish. Though he remained in his Blue Knight form. Kish quickly got off the ground and went over by Moreau and Montgomery.

"You had to antagonize him, didn't you Mr. Kish?" Moreau deduced.

"I couldn't resist." Kish replied as he innocently put his hands behind his head. "Besides, there was some truth to what I said."

"His abandonment of Ichigo was not intentional, however." Moreau pointed out. "He obviously has no idea what is truly going on."

"If something bad is happening to Ichigo, you better tell me right now!" Masaya told them. "Now talk!"

"All in good time, old boy." Moreau assured him. "But it will be far easier for us to explain things back at my base in Tokyo. Don't worry about your grandmother. I've already sent for the best medical care available to take care of her. I've also taken the liberty of informing your parents that you'll be coming with us. Though I did have to use a cover story. As far as they know, I'm an old chum of yours that needs your help with a very important science project. Now then, shall we get going?"

"…Fine." Masaya finally agreed. "But you better not try anything."

With that, Montgomery radioed for a helicopter to land a few feet away from where they were standing. Masaya changed back to his civilian form and the group got aboard. During the whole flight to Tokyo, Masaya couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. After all, the group of men he was traveling with had once been enemies. Plus at least two of them had made some kind of play for Ichigo's heart.

After several minutes, the helicopter had finally arrived in Tokyo. The chopper landed atop a large skyscraper and the four disembarked. A short elevator ride later, they arrived inside a cavernous room inside the building. Aside from a few other doors, the only objects in the room were a very large computer and chair. Pie and Tart were waiting for them by the computer.

"About time you guys showed up!" Tart complained. "I was getting bored!"

"Okay, I'm here. Now talk!" Masaya demanded.

"First there's something you need to see." Moreau told him as he walked over to the computer. "The picture you are about to see was taken inside a recently excavated tomb in Egypt." After Moreau tapped a few keys, an image of Bastet's statue appeared on the screen. "I assume you recognize her."

"That's… Ichigo?" a stunned Masaya identified. "What's a statue of Ichigo doing inside an Egyptian tomb?"

"It seems that our dear Ichigo is the reincarnation of an alien warrior known to the people of Ancient Egypt as the cat goddess, Bastet." Moreau explained. "And now an enemy from that past life may very well be trying to destroy her."

"You really expect me to buy all this?" Masaya denied. "How do I even know this photo of yours isn't fake?"

"Your skepticism is understandable, but we're speaking the truth." Moreau assured him.

"Besides loser, you can feel that Ichigo is in danger." Kish pointed out. "Can't you?"

Masaya couldn't deny that he had felt like something had been very wrong in Tokyo. And that whatever it was had to do with Ichigo.

"Okay, so just what is after Ichigo?" Masaya asked.

Moreau clicked a few more computer keys and the screen changed to an ancient drawing of what looked like a snake. "His name is Apep. Though he also goes by many other titles, such as the Enemy of Ra. According to what Mr. Kish and his companions have told me, Apep is actually a malevolent entity that once roamed the cosmos, plunging all the planets he visited into chaos."

"His reign of terror ended thousands of years ago when he came to this planet and fought the only one who could oppose him, Ra." Kish finished.

"So how do you plan to stop this Apep?" Masaya asked.

"Unfortunately I'm still trying to figure that out." Moreau admitted. "Though from what I've learned, it seems the only one capable of stopping Apep is Ichigo. Which is why I'm currently working on a way to give her a powerful ally, one that can help protect her."

"I can handle that job." Masaya told him.

"You may have the powers of Deep Blue, but that alone won't be enough to stop Apep." Pie told him.

"Unfortunately Mr. Pie is correct." Moreau agreed. "That's why I'm endeavoring to give you some help with my latest brilliant plan. I call it the Goddess Project."

"Goddess Project?" Masaya repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Bastet had an older sister, Sekhmet. As it happens, Sekhmet was the one who created the Chimera Stone." Moreau explained. "According to myth and legend, Sekhmet had the power to single handedly slay an army of a thousand men in a single day. Such a being would be a valuable asset to Ichigo. Which is why I'm going to revive her."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Masaya asked.

At this, Moreau chuckled. "Ryou Shirogane had no idea how perfect his choice was when he selected Ichigo for his Mew Project. He didn't just create a protector of Earth he had revived Bastet. Therefore what he achieved by accident, I shall achieve by design!"

"It's a long shot, but there's a chance that Princess Sekhmet might have been reborn as a human just like Princess Bastet was." Pie continued.

"So you're… planning to create another Mew Mew?" Masaya realized.

"Exactly!" Moreau confirmed. "One with powers that rival Ichigo's. But to accomplish this, I'm going to need a few things. Specifically the Mew Project data and the Chimera Stone."

"I don't think Ryou would like the idea of handing those things over to you." Masaya pointed out.

"Well duh! But we're not giving him a choice." Kish elaborated.

"Wait, you're going to steal the data and Chimera Stone?" Masaya realized.

"I prefer to think of it as borrowing with excessive force, but yes." Moreau confirmed. "Don't worry, you don't need to help. Montgomery and I can handle this task with the help of Mr. Kish and Mr. Pie."

"What makes you think I'm going to go along with this?" Masaya asked.

"Mr. Aoyama, if I may." Montgomery spoke up. "I know Moreau's plan is questionable, but we no longer have any other option. It would take too long to convince Mr. Shirogane to help us, and Ms. Momomiya may be running out of time as we speak. So please, trust us to handle this matter our way."

After a moment, Masaya finally backed down. "You better not hurt my friends."

"Relax, we're just going to mess with them a little." Kish assured him.

"Let's be off, gentlemen." Moreau told Montgomery and the two aliens as they gathered together. In moments the four vanished from the room in a flash.

* * *

Closing time had again come to Café Mew Mew. Berry, Tasuku, Lettuce, and Pudding all busied themselves with cleaning the place before locking up for the night.

"So I guess it was pretty quiet around here today without Ichigo and Mint, huh?" Berry assumed.

"Pretty much, except for Pudding's ticks and my breaking stuff." Lettuce confirmed. "You know, Mint, Zakuro, and Ichigo have all been acting pretty strange lately."

"Tell me about it." Berry agreed. "I mean I can understand Mint being a little stressed because of that boyfriend of hers, but I don't get what's going on with Zakuro or Ichigo."

"Seems like Ichigo's been hiding something from us recently." Lettuce noticed. "I mean she acts like her cheerful self, but it's like she's putting on an act for us."

"Maybe she's just bummed that Masaya's gone." Tasuku theorized.

"No, I think it's something else." Berry replied. "I'm pretty sure this all started before Masaya left."

Before the conversation could go further, Keiichiro ran into the room. "Everyone! We've just picked up a whole swarm of Chimera Anima!"

"Where are they, Keiichiro?" Berry asked.

"…Right outside the café." The dark-haired man revealed.

"What would Chimera Anima be doing attacking the café?" Lettuce wondered.

"We can figure that out later!" Berry told them. "Lettuce! Pudding! Let's go!"

The three Mews transformed and rushed out of the café while Tasuku went into the command center with Keiichiro. Outside, Berry and the others found at least fourteen or fifteen Chimera Anima waiting for them. All of the beasts looked as though they were once zoo animals.

"We better wrap this up quick." Berry decided.

"Let me take care of this!" Pudding told them. "Pudding Ring Inferno!" With a blast from her weapon, the beasts became encased in a jello mold-like barrier.

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!" Lettuce called out as she sent a wave of water at the captured monsters.

"Ribbon Love Berry Check!" Berry called out with a blast of energy from her scepter. In one shot, all the Chimera Anima reverted to being normal animals.

"That was easy." Pudding declared.

"Yeah, not bad for just the three of us." Berry agreed.

"So you're the new white Mew Mew I've heard about." A voice interrupted. Berry and the others looked up to see Kish hovering above them. "You're pretty strong, but you're nowhere near as cute as Ichigo."

"Who are you?" Berry asked.

"No way! Kish?" a shocked Lettuce identified.

"Nice to see you again, ladies." Kish greeted. "How'd you like my welcoming present?"

"So you were behind those Chimera Anima just now?" Berry realized.

"Why are you attacking us again?" Lettuce demanded to know. "I thought you and the other aliens gave up on attacking Earth!"

"What can I say? I missed messing with you ladies." Kish replied with a shrug. "Pie! Let's do this!"

Before the Mews could react, Pie appeared behind them and fired energy bolts at them. Lettuce and Pudding were hit, but Berry managed to jump out of the way and lunge at Kish. The dark-haired alien quickly moved out of the way and kicked Berry in the back.

"I think this is going to be fun." Kish declared.

* * *

Ryou, Keiichiro, and Tasuku all watched the battle from the monitor in the command center. It was safe to say that all three were stunned.

"I don't get it. I thought you guys said these aliens gave up attacking Earth after Ichigo beat that Deep Blue guy." Tasuku recalled.

"They did." Ryou confirmed. "I have no clue why they've decided to attack again."

Before anyone could venture a guess, the lights in the command center suddenly went dark. The only thing in the room that was still on was the computer. Suddenly the door was pushed open from the other side. Montgomery burst in, training a pistol on all three of them.

"What is this?" Ryou demanded to know as he got up.

"Forgive the intrusion, gentlemen. But I have important business here." Moreau spoke as he walked in from behind Montgomery.

"Anton Moreau?" Ryou realized. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you again too, Shirogane." Moreau greeted. "Anyway, you have a few things that I need, and I am quite pressed for time. Montgomery, if you please?"

Montgomery shot his pistol and fired three darts at Ryou and the others. All three were hit in the neck and fell to the ground unconscious. The blonde manservant put his pistol into his jacket pocket and went over to the canister containing the Chimera Stone.

"So nice of Shirogane to leave the stone in plain sight for us." Moreau remarked as he went over to the computer. "Now then, let's see if the data for the Mew Project will be as easy to find."

* * *

Berry continued her one on one battle with Kish, while Lettuce and Pudding fought off Pie. Neither side seemed to be gaining any ground. And it seemed to Berry that Kish and Pie weren't trying very hard to destroy them.

"Mr. Kish! Mr. Pie! The game is over!" a familiar voice called. Berry and the other Mews looked to see Moreau standing outside the café with Montgomery.

"Well that didn't take long, human." Kish responded. "And here I was just starting to have a good time."

"Wait, how is it that you guys are working together?" a confused Berry asked.

"That is a complicated story, and one I simply do not have the time to get into." Moreau replied. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to."

Before the Mews could respond, Kish and Pie flew over to Moreau and Montgomery's side. In a flash, all four of them vanished.

* * *

Masaya paced nervously around the chamber of Moreau's base. He couldn't help but feel that going along with Moreau's plan was the wrong thing to do. Yet he couldn't deny that he could sense that Ichigo was in danger, and that Moreau seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on. Trying to think of something else to dwell upon, Masaya glanced and saw Tart at the computer watching an Internet video of a dog pull a monkey on a skateboard.

"Hey, how come you didn't go with Kish and the others to Café Mew Mew?" Masaya asked.

"None of your business." Tart told him, not once turning away from the screen.

"Oh yeah, Ichigo told me once that you were fond of Pudding." Masaya recalled. "I guess that would explain why you wouldn't want to join in on the attack."

"Shut up!" Tart told him, trying his best not to let Masaya see his red face.

Just then, Moreau returned with the others. "Victory is in our grasp, gentlemen. Now comes the next phase of the project."

Montgomery walked over to Masaya and handed him the Chimera Stone. "We'll leave this in your care, Mr. Aoyama. I'm sure you'd feel far more at ease if you were the one in charge of the stone."

Masaya took the stone and turned his head toward Moreau. "Just why do you need the Chimera Stone for this plan?"

"If my theory is correct, Sekhmet's reincarnation would suffer the same power instability that Ichigo did at the beginning." Moreau explained as he sat at the computer and plugged a flash drive into the consol. "The Chimera Stone will serve to correct that. Plus an inscription in Sekhmet's tomb said that the stone will be needed to fully awaken her in this life."

"Now we just need to figure out who Princess Sekhmet's reincarnation is." Pie added.

"You sure you're going to be able to find her?" Tart asked Moreau.

"The search program Shirogane created to find the original Mew Mews should serve that purpose." Moreau answered. "I just need to add a few more parameters. In addition to being compatible to the DNA of the Asiatic Lion, the specimen we're looking for must also bare a resemblance to the statue we found in Sekhmet's tomb. It should only take a moment."

Masaya and the others watched as Moreau tapped the keys like a pianist playing a major musical composition. When he finished, the screen began flashing through pictures of several young women. After a few more moments, the screen stopped on a picture of a young woman with very long dark chocolate-brown hair. The computer brought up a picture of Sekhmet's statue to confirm that they looked alike.

"That's her! Princess Sekhmet's reincarnation." Kish identified.

"So she's this new Mew Mew?" Masaya asked.

"Well, well. I thought I had seen the face of Sekhmet's statue once before." Moreau commented with an amused smirk. "I never would've guessed that it would be Ms. Coco Hibiki. This is getting quite interesting."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think everyone can guess where part of this story is going by now. Incidentally, the Asiatic Lion is endangered. At least it is according to the information I found. Going into this story, I wasn't sure if I was going to find the right kind of animal to use for this new Mew Mew. It had to be a lion, because of Sekhmet being a lion goddess, and it had to be endangered. And I was not sure how endangered the African Lion still was. Fortunately my search for the proper animal ended up being easier than I thought.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	12. Breaking Point

**Author's Note:** Due to a slight accident last evening, I now have a new computer. And the nice thing about it is that this site seems to run a lot better on this new unit. It was kind of giving me a headache on my old computer. That little bit of news said, on with the story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 11: Breaking Point

The sun was setting as Mint and Zakuro arrived at Café Mew Mew in Mint's limo. Earlier Mint had gotten a call from Berry saying that there was an emergency. So the two had rushed over despite Zakuro's still weakened condition. Upon their arrive, the couple found Ryou, Keiichiro, and Tasuku sitting at a table. Berry and Ryou both brought Tasuku and Ryou something to drink while Pudding finished cleaning up.

"We came as soon as we could." Mint told the others. "What the heck happened?"

"Kish is back." Lettuce revealed. "He and Pie attacked the café only half and hour ago."

"What? Why would those two be causing trouble again?" Mint wondered.

"We're not sure how or why, but he's working with Anton Moreau." Ryou revealed.

"Moreau's back too?" a stunned Mint asked. "Wait, how would he and Kish even know each other?"

"We have no clue." Keiichiro answered. "But while the girls were fighting off Kish and Pie, Moreau broke into the command center and stole the Chimera Stone."

"Not just the stone, Moreau copied all the data on the Mew Project too." Ryou added.

"Why would Moreau want the Mew Project data?" Zakuro wondered.

"Whatever the reason, it probably isn't good." Ryou replied as he stood back up. "We have to find him, fast!"

"Take it easy, Ryou. You need to rest right now." A concerned Lettuce told him. "You and others still need time to recover."

"Why? What happened to you guys?" Mint asked.

"When Moreau broke in, that butler of his hit us with these darts that knocked us out." Tasuku explained. "They gave us some pretty bad headaches."

"Maybe we should take the night off." Keiichiro suggested. "We can start looking for Moreau in the morning."

"Are you serious, Keiichiro?" Ryou protested. "Who knows what that psycho is planning to do? We have to get the stone and project data back from him now!"

"Ryou, we don't even know where Moreau is." Keiichiro reminded him. "It's going to take us time to find him."

"Besides, it's not just Moreau we're dealing with. It's Kish and his friends too." Zakuro added. "We're going to need a plan."

"Hey, where's Ichigo?" Mint asked upon suddenly noticing the redhead's absence.

"We thought she would be with you two." Berry answered. "She told us that she was skipping work today to check on you, Mint."

"Well she never showed up at my place." Mint informed her. "But you didn't call her and tell her about all this?"

"We can't get a hold of her because she's staying at Dr. Trojan's lab." Lettuce reminded her.

"Wait, why is Ichigo at Dr. Trojan's?" a confused Mint asked.

"It's to help her grades." Lettuce replied. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh, no I guess not." Mint answered. "Guess I've kind of been a flake lately. Sorry about that."

"Anyway, my headache's not that bad. So I can start looking for Moreau." Keiichiro suggested. "The rest of you should go home and get some rest. Tomorrow's a weekend, so we can start first thing in the morning."

"…I guess that's as good a plan as any." Ryou relented. "I'll leave it up to you, Keiichiro."

* * *

Coco walked into Trojan's with a serious expression on her face. The old scientist was busy looking at one of his computer screens. Coco had started to dislike entering her father's lab in recent months. For some reason place had started to make her feel nauseous.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" Coco requested.

"One moment, Coco." Trojan replied as he held up his index finger. After a moment, he put it back down. "Now, what is it that you've come to talk to me about?"

"It's about Ichigo." Coco explained. "I know you're trying to help her grades and all that, but I think you should let up on her. Don't ask me how I know, but I can tell you she leads a pretty stressful life. And this little intense study program of yours isn't helping."

"I cannot be troubled with all the other stressful factors in Ms. Momomiya's life." Trojan told her. "And I suggest that you detach yourself from her as soon as possible. It will only make what I must do that much harder."

"What are you talking about?" Coco asked. "Just what are you up to, dad?"

"Please understand that what I am doing is vital to…" Trojan began, but stopped himself mid sentence.

"Vital to what?" Coco asked. "Dad, what are you really up to?"

"It is best that you do not ask too many questions, Coco." Trojan told her. "Now, it is late and I still have much work to do before the night is done. Please leave."

Coco opened her mouth to say something more, but decided to let the matter drop. She walked out of the lab sure that her father was up to something. And whatever it was, Coco was sure that it wasn't good for Ichigo.

* * *

Ichigo pulled herself out of bed after another sleepless night. Once again sleep had escaped her, and she had been in great need of it after her battle with Apep. As she started getting dressed, Ichigo was thankful that it was at least the weekend. Though she was quite certain that Trojan would still give her some kind of assignment. Just as Ichigo finished putting on the bell collar Masaya had given her long ago, Coco burst into the room.

"Coco, what…?" Ichigo attempted to ask.

"I'm getting you out of here." Coco told her as she tossed the redhead her cell phone. "It's not safe."

"What are you talking about?" a confused Ichigo asked.

"Last night I tried talking my dad into giving you less work, and he acted all weird about it." Coco explained. "I got suspicious, so I hacked into his computer."

"You hacked his computer?" a surprised Ichigo repeated.

"His passwords are easy to guess." Coco continued. "Look Ichigo, my dad knows you're a Mew Mew. He fixed your grades so he'd have an excuse to put you in this program of his. You're his lab rat."

"Why does he want to experiment on me?" Ichigo asked.

"This… is sort of my fault in a way." Coco answered with a sad expression. "My dad thinks he can use you to cure my illness. According to his notes, you have super human healing abilities. My dad thinks that if he can duplicate your powers and give them to me, my body will be able to get rid of the disease on its own."

"I guess that makes sense." Ichigo replied. "But how does he plan to duplicate my powers?"

"He's still figuring that out, from what I've read." Coco answered. "Right now he's been trying to push you to your limits to see how much punishment you can take. For one thing he's been putting simulants in your food to keep you awake."

"Well it's working." Ichigo confirmed.

"There's more." Coco continued. "My dad is also trying to create his own kind of Mew Mew. He calls it a Mew Slayer."

A chill went down Ichigo's spine. "Did you say… a Mew Slayer?"

"Yeah, why?" Coco asked.

_'Apep wanted me here at Dr. Trojan's!'_ Ichigo thought. _'Now it all makes sense. Dr. Trojan has been working with Apep this whole time!'_

"Ichigo, you have to believe that I didn't know anything about this." Coco told her.

"Don't worry Coco, I believe you." Ichigo assured her. "And you shouldn't blame yourself for what's going on."

"Well either way, we need to get you out of here." Coco told her. "Pack a bag and let's get going."

As soon as Ichigo was packed, the two of them left the building as quickly and discretely as possible. Once outside, they headed for the nearest bus stop and waited. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn't due for another twenty minutes. And Ichigo felt that the longer they waited, the more danger they were in.

"Hey there, kitty cat. Leaving so soon?" a very familiar voice spoke. Ichigo and Coco turned around to see Sasha and the other Mew Slayers behind them in their civilian forms.

"Ichigo, are these friends of yours?" Coco asked.

"Hardly." Ichigo answered as she tensed up. "You know those Mew Slayers your dad's been trying to create? That's who these girls are."

"It's time we finish this, kitty cat." Sasha decided.

With that, all five Mew Slayers transformed. Ichigo responded by performing a double transformation to her Ancient form.

_"Time to end our game, Basssstett."_ Apep's voice spoke.

"Who the hell said that?" a startled Coco asked.

"Huh? Coco, you can hear him?" a surprised Ichigo asked.

_"What? How can thisss mortal hear my voiccce when I don't wish her to?"_ an equally surprised Apep demanded to know.

"Well I can hear you, whoever you are!" Coco responded. "So who are you?"

_"Dessstroy them both!"_ Apep ordered his Mew Slayers.

"But my lord, that girl is Dr. Trojan's daughter." Alyssa reminded him.

_"Do not quesssstion me!"_ Apep spat back. _"There'sss ssssomething about that girl that infuriatesss me. Dessstroy them both, now!"_

"You heard him, girls. Let's do this!" Sasha ordered.

The instant the Mew Slayers started to charge at them, Ichigo picked up Coco and dashed off. Sasha, Alyssa, and Connie began firing at them as Ichigo ran down the road. Looking for a place to hide, Ichigo found a nearby construction site and went in. The cat girl reached the base of the steel structure that was destined to become a building and put Coco down to catch her breath.

"You okay?" Coco asked.

"I'm totally exhausted." Ichigo admitted. "But I'm pretty sure those girls aren't going to just let us go."

"Can't you call the rest of Tokyo Mew Mew to help?" Coco suggested.

"Believe me, I'd like to. But I can't." Ichigo answered. "That creature you heard before is called Apep, and he's made it clear that if I called the others for help he'd send an army of monsters to kill everyone at my school."

"So… you've been fighting those five on your own this whole time?" Coco realized.

"Pretty much." Ichigo confirmed. "I'm sorry I got you involved, Coco."

"Hey, don't worry about me." Coco replied. "I chose to get involved. Besides, a lot of this is because of my dad. So the way I see it, I've been involved in this from the beginning."

"There you two are!" Sasha's voice interrupted, causing the two to look and see that the Mew Slayers had found them. "This was a pretty lame hiding spot, kitty cat. Time to say your prayers."

"Run Coco! Get out of here!" Ichigo ordered as she took a defensive stance.

"What? I'm not leaving you here alone!" Coco told her.

"You're not safe here, Coco! Now go!" Ichigo ordered again.

"You're wasting your breath. There's nowhere for her to run." Sasha pointed out. "And besides, Lord Apep ordered us to kill her too. This is the end of the line for both of you."

"Kill me if you want, but I'm not going to let you hurt Coco!" Ichigo declared.

"Not giving you a choice here, kitty cat." Sasha told her as she aimed her gun. "Orochi Eight Shot Strike!"

Eight snake-shaped beams of energy shot out of the gun and headed for Ichigo and Coco. But before the beams could strike, a fast moving figure came down from above and blocked the shots with a blade of blue energy. The massive blade cut through the attack and struck all five Mew Slayers, knocking them to the ground. When the dust cleared, Masaya was standing in front of Ichigo and Coco as the Blue Knight.

"Masaya!" Ichigo happily called.

"Are you okay?" a concerned Masaya asked as he went over.

"I'm doing better now." Ichigo answered.

"What the hell is this?" Sasha protested as ahs and the other Mew Slayers got back up. "We were told we wouldn't have to deal with the kitty cat's boyfriend!"

"Sorry to disappoint you." Masaya told her.

"It doesn't matter if we have to deal with you or not." Colette confidently declared. "We still have the advantage in numbers, and that commoner of a cat girl is running out of steam."

"Too bad for you, I didn't come here alone!" Masaya told them. Just then Kish, Pie, and Tart appeared on the scene.

"What the… Kish?" a surprised Ichigo identified.

"Hey there, sweetie." Kish greeted. "Did you miss me?"

"Not really." Ichigo replied.

"Sweetie?" Coco repeated quietly to Ichigo.

"It's a long story, but Kish has a thing for me." Ichigo explained.

"Oh, and he's one of those guys who can't take a hint. Is that it?" Coco realized.

"Pretty much." Ichigo confirmed.

"Hey! What is this?" Connie protested. "First blue boy comes to the rescue, and now we've gotta fight these rejects from the North Pole?"

"You're the ones who're the rejects!" Tart shot back. "Kish, let's take 'em down!"

"Fine with me." Kish agreed before firing an energy bolt at Sasha.

Sasha jumped back to evade the attack and fired a single shot at Kish. Kish twisted his body to avoid the shot and flew at the snake girl full speed. Meanwhile, Tart fired an energy bolt at Connie, but the hornet girl quickly flew out of the attack's path and came around to fire a few stingers at him. The short alien easily evaded the attack, only to be shocked from behind by Alyssa. At the same time, Eve charged at Pie and attempted to strike the blonde alien with her whip. Pie moved to the side to avoid the lash and quickly moved in to punch the scorpion girl in the face. Colette then jumped at Pie from behind to try and strike him with her mechanical legs, but the alien quickly stopped her with a kick to the stomach.

"I never thought I'd be happy to see Kish and his two friends." Ichigo remarked.

Masaya ignored the comment and turned to Coco. "You're Coco Hibiki, right?"

"Uh, yeah." The chocolate-haired girl confirmed. "How do you know?"

Masaya pulled the Chimera Stone out of his coat. "I need you to put this on, quick."

"Hold on! Masaya, what…?" Ichigo attempted to ask.

"Just trust me, Ichigo." Masaya requested.

"Well, I may as well play along." Coco decided before taking the stone from Masaya and putting it around her neck. "So now what?"

Masaya pulled out a portable radio. "Moreau, Ms. Hibiki as the stone."

"Excellent." Moreau's voice spoke from the radio. "Montgomery and I are in position."

At the top floor of the building right across the street from the construction site, Montgomery took aim at Coco from the scope of a specially modified rifle. The gun in question had been changed to fire a beam that would deliver the animal DNA needed for Coco's transformation.

"I have a clear shot." Montgomery reported.

"You may fire when ready." Moreau ordered.

Montgomery waited for the right time and squeezed the trigger. A beam of multicolored light burst from the end of the rifle and headed down towards Coco. Hitting its mark, the beam caused Coco to glow with an aura of red energy. The Chimera Stone hanging from Coco's neck changed from green to ruby red. Suddenly the stone gave off a massive explosion of red light that enveloped Coco, Ichigo, and Masaya.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This will probably be the last update to this story for the next couple of days. In the next chapter, the ancient past will be revealed and a new Mew will be born. Until then, stay tuned and happy holidays.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	13. Daughters of Ra

**Author's Note:** I trust everyone reading had a good holiday. I ended up getting a book on Egyptian mythology for Christmas. I think some of the stuff I'm learning from that book will help me refine some details of the future stories in this series.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 12: Daughters of Ra

The light of the Chimera Stone propelled Ichigo and Coco's minds back through time. They had gone back thousands of years to a time known only as twisted myth. In this time, Ichigo and Coco were no longer their present selves but rather the people they were in that time. They were once more the daughters of Ra, Bastet and Sekhmet. For them, it had only been moments since Bastet, Sekhmet, and Thoth had been debating the creation of the Chimera Stone, known to them as the Eye of Sekhmet.

Drenos led Bastet, Sekhmet, and Thoth onto the bridge of the golden ship. Sitting in the throne-like chair in the center of the bridge was a man clad in golden armor that seemed to shine like the sun. The only part of his face the helmet of the armor revealed was his jaw and mouth, and his golden eyes. The helmet itself looked like a mask in the form of a falcon's head, and adorning the top was a golden disc.

As soon as the doors shut behind them, Drenos stepped before the man in gold and kneeled. "Hail, King Ra."

"Arise, Drenos." Ra calmly replied. "Go and make sure the other soldiers are prepared for what is to come. This will be the most difficult battle they shall ever fight."

"At once, my kind." Drenos complied before turning and leaving the bridge.

Bastet glanced out the window at the front of the bridge and saw the massive storm of black clouds before them. "Is it true father? Are we to end this conflict today?"

"Apep's reign of chaos has gone on for far too long." Ra replied. "We must end this now, or this world too will fall."

"It's about time, if you ask me." Sekhmet remarked. "I've grown tired of dealing with that damn snake."

"Now this world can finally know peace." Bastet stated.

"I take it, my king, that you have finally found a weakness of Apep to exploit." Thoth deduced.

"As perceptive as always, my wise old friend." Ra confirmed with a smirk. "But we shall wait for Seth to come before we discuss the plan."

On cue, the doors to the bridge opened up. Walking in was a muscular humanoid creature that stood at a little over seven feet tall. His body was covered in fur the color of desert sand, and his head was like that of a dog or a jackal with blood red eyes. On his left pointed ear he had on a small gold earing, and the right ear had a notch in it. The alien warrior had on a red cloth that served as a headdress, and his torso he wore golden armor with a shoulder guard that went over his left shoulder. In his right hand, he carried a large golden spear.

The warrior kneeled before Ra. "I have come as commanded, my king."

"Arise, Seth." Ra told him. "I will have need of your skill on this day."

Seth rose to his feet. "So it is true. We are to have our final battle with Apep."

"I have looked over the recordings of all our previous battles with Apep and believe I have found his weakness. There is a black gem on the serpent's body that I think may serve as his heart. My plan is this, Thoth, the soldiers, and myself shall keep Apep distracted. Seth, you shall attack the heart with Bastet and Sekhmet."

"My king, what shall happen once Apep is slain?" Seth asked.

"Peace and order shall finally come not just to this world, but to the universe itself." Ra answered.

"I see…" Seth replied. "Then what need will you have of warriors like myself?"

"Do not concern yourself with that, Seth. Your role may have to change, but you shall always have a place at my side." Ra assured him.

Seth seemed to take no comfort from Ra's words. "If you have no more need of me at the moment, my king, I should go and prepare for the coming battle."

"By all means Seth. We will all need you at your best." Ra replied.

As Seth left the bridge, Thoth looked at him with a suspicious eye. "If I may say so, Ra. I think you put too much faith in Seth. He is a barbarian in many ways. Fighting is all he has known since a young age, and I sense the power of chaos is strong with him."

"I understand your concern, Thoth. But Seth has given me no reason not to trust him." Ra told him. "He has proven his loyalty time and again."

"Perhaps his loyalty is only due to having such a powerful enemy to fight." The bird-headed wizard pointed out. "He may not be so loyal in an era of peace and order."

"For once I agree with the old man." Sekhmet stated. "Seth has been acting a little strange lately. Seems like he's been angrier than usual."

"Sister, how can you doubt Seth's loyalty?" a surprised Bastet asked. "He helped train the two of us in the ways of combat. We've learned much from him."

"Your trust is admirable, Bastet. But is perhaps misplaced." Thoth told her.

"Face it Bast, Seth is no angel." Sekhmet pointed out. "I'm not sure if he'd like living in a peaceful galaxy."

"Enough!" Ra interrupted. "I will hear no more of this! The final battle with Apep is upon us. If we are to prevail, we must have faith in our friends and allies. Is that clear to you all?"

"As you wish, my king." Thoth replied.

"Yes father." Sekhmet replied.

"Good. Then let us prepare." Ra told them.

The golden ship, though it resembled a boat from the outside, was actually an advanced spacecraft. And within only an hour it has reached the edge of the dark storm. Ra, Bastet, and Sekhmet stood on the roof of the ship with Seth and Thoth. Inside the dark storm, flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the silhouette of a creature that resembled a massive serpent.

"Ssso Ra, you have come to faccce me again." A deep snake-like voice spoke from within the cloud. "How many more timesss shall we do battle?"

"This ends today, Apep!" Ra declared. "You shall parish before our might!"

"Bold wordsss, Ra. But you shall not triumph." Apep responded. "Chaosss isss eternal. Before I am done, thisss planet shall return to darknessss."

Flying out of the dark cloud was a hoard of small black serpent-like creatures with red eyes and black shadowy wings. In mere moments, the creatures surrounded the vessel and began blasting it with beams of purple energy shot from their mouths. Cannon ports opened up along both sides of the ship and began firing back with beams of golden light.

"Thoth, you and I shall lure Apep out!" Ra ordered. "Seth, you and my daughters shall wait for evil one to come close to the edge of the cloud. But do not strike until you can see his heart!"

"We understand, father." Bastet replied. "Good luck."

Ra rose into the air and brought his arms forward to shoot a beam of golden light from his hands into the cloud. Apep roared in pain, signaling that Ra's attack had hit its target. Thoth stepped back from Bastet and the others and fired a beam of silver light from the top of his staff into the cloud.

"You foolsss shall not triumph!" Apep declared.

Suddenly a massive blast of black energy shot from the cloud. Ra fired another equally powerful beam that struck the front of the black blast. The two attacks pushed against one another, neither seeming to gain ground. Thoth fired another beam of light from his staff to add to Ra's attack and actually managed to push back the black energy slightly. After a moment, Apep's attack managed to push back and the stalemate was renewed.

Yet at the same time, Bastet and the others could make out more of the serpent's massive body. They could clearly make out a large black gemstone that seemed to be on the front of the creature's chest. The time had finally come to strike. Bastet raised her bladed gauntlet and prepared to leap at the stone. But before she could, she felt something sharp stab her in the back. The cat girl turned around and was shocked to find that Seth had thrown his spear at her.

"Seth… why?" she managed to utter.

"For the glory of my new master." The jackal-headed man coldly answered. "The age of war and chaos shall soon begin."

Bastet tried to say something to respond, but didn't have the strength. Instead she collapsed to the ground.

Horrified, Sekhmet ran to her sister's side. "Bastet! Bastet!"

Ra looked down just in time to see Sekhmet weeping over Bastet's lifeless form. He could also see that it was Seth's spear that had caused her end. Suddenly Apep's attack ceased.

"SSSSAA HA HA HAAA!" the serpent laughed. "Well Ra, it ssseemsss that you champion hasss betrayed you."

"Why Seth?" Ra furiously demanded to know. "I had given you everything! I had trusted you with my life! Why have you sided with this evil thing?"

"You old fool! I am a warrior!" Seth responded. "There's no place for me in a world like yours! With Lord Apep's power, I shall be a conquer of worlds!"

"You…" an enraged Sekhmet uttered as she got back to her feet. "YOU DAMN TRAITOR!"

Sekhmet charged to attack Seth, only to be struck by a massive bolt of red lightning shot from the jackal-headed warrior's hands. The lion girl collapsed next to her sister, dead. Seth roared in triumph.

"Well done, Ssseth." Apep praised. "Well Ra, it ssseemsss that are the one who shall meet his end thisss day."

Ra lowered his head in sadness. "Thoth, protect Sekhmet's Eye. It shall be the key to my daughters being revived in the next life."

"What are you planning, my king?" Thoth asked.

"If Apep cannot be destroyed, then he must be sealed away." Ra decided.

"But if you're going to use that spell…!" Thoth suddenly realized.

"Only my physical form shall cease to be." Ra replied. "My spirit shall continue to live on. Your duty now is to stop Seth and make sure my daughters return. As long as they can live again, we have another chance of destroying this demon once and for all."

"But Ra!" Thoth tried to argue.

"I'm counting on you, old friend." Ra told him.

With that, Ra flew into the dark cloud chanting a spell in an unknown language. An instant later, the entire area was washed out in a blinding flash of golden light.

* * *

The crimson light from the Chimera Stone had finally faded. Masaya, Ichigo, and Coco all stood with stunned expressions. The Chimera Stone meanwhile had turned black and crumbled to ash.

"Did… did that actually happen?" Masaya asked.

"You saw it too, Masaya?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, didn't you?" Masaya responded.

"I more than saw it… I lived it." Ichigo answered with a sad expression.

"Damn." Coco quietly cursed.

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" Sasha demanded to know. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's not gonna work!"

"Oh yeah, those five pains in the ass are still here." Coco realized.

Ichigo's cell phone dropped to the ground and Masha flew up next to Coco. The ball of fluff opened a sort of mouth and produced another transformation pendant.

Coco caught the pendant in her hand. "Thanks, you little puffball."

"Coco, does this mean you're…?" Ichigo began to ask.

Coco clutched the pendant and raised her right hand in the air. "Mew Mew Chocolate Metamorphosis!"

In an instant, Coco was enveloped in a pillar of black energy that had a red outline. The energy faded to reveal that Coco had developed lion ears and a tail. Her hair had turned raven-black and her eyes had become golden. She had on a Mew Mew costume that was identical to Ichigo's, though there were some major differences. It was black, for one thing, and the skirt wasn't as poofy. Her gloves also extended past her elbows. Tied around her lion tail was a thing black ribbon with a golden bell attached.

"Masaya, keep an eye on Ichigo." Coco requested. "I'll handle this."

"Wait, Coco! You can't possibly take these five on by yourself." Ichigo told her. "Let me help."

"You've done enough for now." Coco told Ichigo as she patted her on the head. "Remember who you're talking to here. Now just relax and let your big sis handle this, okay?"

Ichigo said nothing more as Coco walked out towards the Mew Slayers. Kish, Pie, and Tart meanwhile fell back to the other side of the lot.

"So you're gonna take us on now, huh?" Sasha observed with a cocky grin. "You're gonna regret that."

"Pick on my little sister, will you?" Coco responded. "For your evil actions, I'll make you all pay!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Back when I had done my original research on Apep, I was surprised to find that Seth (or Set, as he's also known) was the god that was known as the chief slayer of Apep. I had already known a little about Seth from the myth of Osiris, so I wasn't expecting that such an evil god would also have such a heroic role. There are a few reasons why Seth would become known as a more destructive deity, a big one being that Seth was also a creature of chaos like Apep. So thinking about it for this story, I decided to have Apep turn Seth to the dark side and betray Ra. It's an old twist, but it works.

Anyway, in the next chapter we get to see Mew Coco in action. At the moment, all I'll say is that she won't be like the other Mew Mews.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	14. Sekhmet

**Author's Note:** Here it is, the last chapter of this story. There's going to be one more special "guest star" towards the end.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew (or Sailor Moon).

* * *

Chapter 13: Sekhmet

Berry and the other Mew Mews had finally arrived at the construction site after detecting Kish, Pie, and Tart. But what they saw when they got there was completely unexpected. Ichigo and Masaya were both there for one thing. And Coco had just transformed only seconds before. At the moment, Coco and the Mew Slayers were still sizing each other up.

"What the heck's going on here?" Mint wondered.

"I know one thing for sure. That one girl's a Black Mew Mew." Berry observed. "This must be what Moreau has been trying to do."

"Never mind about the new Mew. What about those other five?" Zakuro pointed out. "They seem like Mew Mews, but not really."

"Hey! That one younger girl looks like Connie Topaz." Lettuce suddenly realized. "You know, that genius girl from our school."

"Come to think of it, that girl with those four legs or whatever they are on her back looks like Colette." Mint noticed.

"They all look like girls from our school!" Berry realized. "Did Moreau change them too?"

"What should we do, Berry?" Pudding asked.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I think we better get involved before things get out of hand." Berry decided.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, little bunny." A familiar voice spoke. The five Mews looked up to see Kish and the other two aliens hovering above them. "You and your little friends would only get yourselves hurt."

"Why?" Berry asked. "Are you three going to try something?"

"Not at all." Pie assured them. "We simply don't want you getting hurt in the crossfire. Princess Sekhmet's reincarnation is about to battle, and right now she seems furious. It would be best for you five not to get in her way."

"Princess who?" a confused Lettuce asked.

"Your newest team member." Another familiar voice answered. The Mews looked to see Moreau approaching them with Montgomery. "The one that I created using the Mew Project data I borrowed from Shirogane."

"You mean that Black Mew Mew." Berry realized. "So you're up to your old tricks again, huh?"

"I am the one responsible for Ms. Coco's transformation, but not for the reason you think." Moreau told her. "I'm not trying to change the world, I'm trying to save Ichigo's life."

Inside the lot, the battle between Coco and the Mew Slayers had still yet to begin. Both parties were still starring one another down.

"What the hell are you waiting for, you dumb black cat?" Sasha impatiently asked. "Make a move already!"

"This is still a little new to me, in a way. So I'm going to be nice and let you five take the first shot." Coco replied.

"Careful what you ask for, loser!" Connie replied with a mad grin as she took aim. "Machine Gun Stinger!"

A barrage of stingers was fired at Coco, creating a cloud of dust where she stood. After a moment the attack stopped and all was quiet.

Connie grinned with triumph. "That was pretty weak."

"I'll say. You're way too slow." A voice spoke from behind. A stunned Connie turned to see Coco standing right behind her.

Before the hornet girl could react, Coco knocked her to the ground with a powerful kick to the back. Before Connie could get back up, the lion girl went over, picked her up by the neck and punched her three times in the face. Afterwards, Coco slammed Connie into the ground hard enough to create an impression.

"Take this!" Eve cried as she charged at Coco. "Scorpio Whip!"

Before the whip could strike, Coco grabbed it by the end and used it to pull Eve in. The lion girl then bent Eve's arm behind her back in a way a human arm was never intended to bend. A cracking sound was heard, followed closely by Eve's scream. Colette leapt in from behind to strike Coco with her mechanical spider legs, but Coco quickly turned around and used Eve as a shield. The black Mew Mew then tossed both of them away.

A second later, Alyssa shot one of her toxic bolts at Coco, only for her to easily jump out of the way. Coco charged in and grabbed Alyssa by the neck, lifting her high off the ground.

"You know, I could probably snap your neck right now." Coco observed as Alyssa gasped for air. "But there's probably still a chance that you can be saved. Besides, you're not worth killing."

With that, Coco slammed Alyssa into one of the steel beams of the unfinished building and let her drop to the ground. Alyssa remained on her side, sounding as if she was trying to cough up a lung.

"Damn… you." Colette cursed as she tried getting up.

Coco calmly walked over and grabbed the back of Colette's head before slamming into the ground. The black Mew Mew then put her foot on Colette's back and pulled out two of her mechanical legs. With a leg in each hand, Coco calmly approached Sasha.

"I'm gonna make you pay." Sasha declared.

"Go ahead, take your best shot." Coco dared.

"You asked for it!" Sasha shouted as she aimed her pistol. "Orochi Eight Shot Strike!"

The snake girl fired eight snake-like beams from her gun. But before they could hit their target, Coco threw one of mechanical legs she took from Colette to block the attack. Before a shocked Sasha could fully react, Coco charged in and slashed her across the stomach with the tip of the other leg. Sasha staggered backwards as Coco tossed the other leg to the ground.

"You… bitch!" Sasha cursed.

"Hey, you five started this when you went after my sister." Coco coldly replied.

"Yeah? Well we're not done yet!" Sasha declared. The rest of the Mew Slayers had managed to get back to their feet and were gathering around her. "By the time I'm finished, both you and that other damn cat will both be fried."

The gemstones on the bracelets of the Mew Slayers all began to glow and Sasha rose up into the air, glowing with a red aura. Sasha's silver bazooka materialized to set on her right shoulder.

"So it's going to be like that, huh?" Coco observed. "Fine. Chocolate Bell Sword!"

The ribbon and bell tied around Coco's tail changed into a ball of black energy and flew into her right hand. The energy changed into a sword with a black heart-shaped crossguard and a red handle. Hanging from the end of the handle was a single black ribbon with a gold bell at the end.

"As if some dinky sword will help you!" Sasha scoffed. "Eat this! Death Serpent Shot!"

A massive blast of red energy fired from the end of Sasha's bazooka. Coco raised her sword and deflected the attack with the blade. When it was all over, Coco was completely unharmed.

"It's… not possible." A visibly shocked Alyssa uttered. "How can her level of power be so high?"

"I've had just about enough of you five." Coco told the Slayers as she raised her sword. "Ribbon… Dark Chocolate Slice!"

With a swing of her sword, Coco sent forth a massive blade of black energy that hit all five Mew Slayers at once. The attack ended, and the five Slayers were on the ground. Their eyes were still open, but they were completely unconscious. The gems on the Slayers' bracelets began to flash, and all five vanished in flashes of multicolored light. With the battle over, Coco's sword went back to being a ribbon around her tail.

"Magnificent." Moreau commented on the sidelines. "The myths and legends of Sekhmet appear to be true."

"That was brutal." Berry declared. "I don't know what was going on with Sasha and those other four, but that seemed way too far."

"Uh, Ms. Coco?" Masaya called. "Are those five dead?"

"Relax, Masaya. I just knocked them out." Coco assured him. "I said before that they weren't worth killing. And there's no need to be so formal. Call me Coco."

"Coco, don't you think that was just a little over the top?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh c'mon, Bast! They had it coming." Coco argued. "Hell, I think I went pretty easy on them."

Ichigo gave a heavy sigh. "As over the top as always."

"Sounds like you know Coco pretty well." Masaya observed.

"Of course I do." Ichigo replied. "Coco and I now remember just about everything from our past lives. We are sisters."

"How can this be?" another voice spoke. Ichigo and the others looked to see Trojan approaching. "Coco, how can you do this?"

"What's Dr. Trojan doing here?" Mint wondered.

"How could I do this, dad?" Coco responded. "How the hell could you do this to Ichigo? You allied yourself with that damn snake and made those Mew Slayer girls torture and kill her!"

"It was all for you!" Trojan told her. "For years I've been trying to find a cure for your condition. When I encountered Lord Apep, he promised to help me attain knowledge I could use to develop a cure in exchange for certain… favors."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Coco asked.

"I believe I can answer that, Ms. Coco." Moreau interrupted. "Hello Dr. Trojan. It's been quite some time, hasn't it? I trust you remember me."

"It's hard to forget one of my brightest students." Trojan replied.

"Anyway, I believe I've deduced what you were trying to do." Moreau continued. "I know for a fact that you've been using your knowledge of genetics and cybernetics to find a cure for Ms. Coco's condition for years. Those Mew Slayers of yours were most likely a prototype for a potential treatment, not to mention a fighting force made to fulfill whatever sort of Faustian bargain you made with Apep. But when you saw Ichigo's abilities in action, you were hoping to replicate those powers for Coco."

"I've always said you were a sharp boy, Anton." Trojan responded.

"Yes, well it seems that I have succeeded where you have failed." Moreau told him with a very smug expression. "Thanks to her transformation and the power of the Chimera Stone, Ms. Coco is now completely cured of her illness. I've outdone both you and Shirogane."

"So… Ichigo really was nothing more than a lab rat to you, huh dad?" Coco deduced.

"I've told you many times before, Coco. Sometimes great sacrifices must be made in the name of scientific progress." Trojan replied. "It was unfortunate, but your friend needed to be sacrificed in order to…"

Coco didn't let her father finish that sentence. Instead she grabbed him by the collar of her shirt and threw him back five feet. Still enraged, she began to storm over.

Berry quickly stepped between her and Trojan. "That's enough! I'm not going to let you hurt him!"

"Butt out, blondie! This is family business!" Coco shot back.

"Coco! You have to understand!" Trojan pleaded. "I was only trying to do everything I could to keep from losing you like I lost your mother!"

Coco's expression softened a bit. "…You don't get it, dad. You lost mom long before she died. Did you ever wonder why she never married you? It's because you always cared about science more than people. I had always thought, or at least hoped, that had changed after she died. But I guess I was wrong. As far as I'm concerned, I have no father."

"Coco, wait!" Trojan pleaded as Coco turned and began to walk off.

_"Well, thisss isss indeed an unexpected resssult."_ Apep suddenly spoke, startling everyone.

"Hey! Who said that?" a surprised Berry asked.

Meanwhile, Mint had noticed that Zakuro had suddenly turned pale and was shivering. "Are you okay, Zakuro?"

_"Had I known that you had been reborn assss Trojan'sss daughter, thingsss would've been much different, Ssssekhemtt."_ Apep continued.

"You damn snake!" Coco cursed. "Haven't you done enough today? Why don't you just get lost?"

_"Oh, but I have one more trick left."_ Apep replied. _"Trojan'sss ssscientific ssskillsss are of no more ussse to me. But he can ssstill ssserve another purpossse."_

"Lord Apep, what are you…?" Trojan began to ask.

Before he could finish, a shadowy serpent appeared and dove into his mouth and down his throat. Coco watched in horror as Apep took over and killed the man that was her father. An instant later, several of the green jellyfish-like infectors that Trojan had used to create the Serpent Anima few down and enveloped him. The mass erupted into a pillar of crackling black energy. When the energy died down, in Trojan's place was a very muscular snake-like creature with black scales and a silver underside. The thing stood at about fifteen feet tall and had bright red eyes. It had not legs, but a thick tail that ended in a long curved purple blade. The hands of its muscular arms ended in purple claws.

"Yesss, thisss should be a far more effective avatar than the one I made from the body of that boy." Apep spoke.

"I don't know who or what you are, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!" Berry declared as she silently brought forth her weapon. "Ribbon Loveberry Check!"

Berry fired a red beam from the end of her wand. The attack hit Apep's muscular chest, but left no damage.

"Wasss that sssupposssed to hurt?" Apep mockingly asked.

Before Berry could respond, Apep struck her with his tail. The force was strong enough to propel Berry all the way into the fence on the other side of the lot. Kish quickly flew down and pulled Berry out of the wreckage as some of the others fell back.

"Now then, Daughtersss of Ra. Let usss finish thisss." Apep decided.

"Coco, you know that's not your dad anymore. Right?" Ichigo asked.

A tear ran down Coco's cheek. "I know, Ichigo. I know what I have to do."

With that, Coco cried out and a ray of golden light came down from above and struck her. The energy faded and Coco's costume had changed. Her collar had become gold and golden rings had replaced the bands around her upper arms. Around her waist was a ruby-red sash that had a golden heart-shaped buckle on the front. On Coco's right forearm was a bladed gauntlet very similar to Ichigo's, only the back was ruby red instead of emerald green. A gold tiara identical to Ichigo's had appeared on Coco's end, and her eyes had changed from gold to red.

"Coco's new form… it's just like Ichigo's." Lettuce observed.

"Coco, Masaya, let's put a stop to this." Ichigo decided.

"Ssso you three shall faccce me." Apep observed.

"You've hurt and manipulated my friends and family, and have taken innocent lives!" Ichigo told him. "For your evil actions, we will make you pay!"

Apep responded by firing a blast of black energy from his mouth at them. The three scattered and attempted to surround the serpent creature. Masaya swung his sword and hit Apep with a massive energy blade that caused him to cry out in pain. The attack ended and Apep's body was smoking.

"Not bad, boy." Apep praised. "That actually ssstung."

"Then how 'bout this?" Coco shouted as she grabbed Apep by the tail.

With all her strength, Coco swung Apep over her head and brought him crashing down onto the fence to her left side. Before the serpent creature could recover, Coco leapt high into the air and came down to deliver a powerful kick to Apep's chest. The sound of ribs cracking could be heard as Apep roared in pain yet again. Coco flipped off Apep and landed right next to Masaya.

The blades of Coco's gauntlet extended out. "Let's hit him with all we've got!"

Masaya nodded and raised his sword. "Indigo Comet Blade!"

"Ribbon Dark Chocolate Slash!" Coco cried out with a swing of her arm.

Apep roared as two massive blades of blue and red energy hit him. When the attacks ended, Apep's body was smoking. Before Apep could retaliate, Ichigo began to glow with a brilliant golden aura that caused him to look. Her sistrum weapon was already in her hand.

"O wicked avatar of darkness! By the light of order, I return thee to dust!" Ichigo chanted in an echoing voice. "Ribbon… Strawberry Chime!"

A massive beam of golden light shot forth from Ichigo's sistrum and hit Apep. Cracks of light appeared on the serpent monster's body as Apep roared in pain. The attack ended, and Apep's body exploded and turned to ash.

"So… is it over?" Lettuce asked.

_"Far from it!"_ Apep's voice spoke. _"You may have won thisss day, but the game hasss now changed. Beware, Tokyo Mew Mew! Your dessstruction will sssoon be at hand!"_

"Okay, will someone please tell me what the heck is going on?" Mint asked.

Before anyone could answer, Ichigo suddenly changed back to her civilian form and collapsed. Masaya swiftly caught her before she hit the ground.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" a concerned Lettuce asked.

"Back off!" Coco told them. "You idiots are supposed to be Ichigo's team, right? Well if you had done a better job of backing her up, she wouldn't be in this condition!"

"Now just hold on!" Mint tried to argue.

"Forget it!" Coco responded. "Masaya! We need to get Ichigo to a hospital!"

"Uh, right!" Masaya agreed. Before anyone could respond, Coco and Masaya jumped off into the city with Ichigo.

At that moment, Berry finally regained consciousness. "What happened? Hey, where's Ichigo?"

"Well, that certainly could've gone better." Moreau commented.

"Maybe it's time you start talking." Zakuro told Moreau. "You seem to know a lot more about what's going on."

"Of course." Moreau agreed. "There is much that we need to discuss."

* * *

Coco and Masaya sat in the waiting room of the nearest hospital they could find. They had of course changed back to their civilian forms before taking Ichigo in. The two of them had been waiting for about ten minutes, during which time there had been little conversation.

"So… do you think I'm an idiot for not doing a better job of protecting Ichigo?" Masaya suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Coco responded as if shaken from her thoughts. "Oh, that. No, you're not an idiot. Neither are the other Mew Mews. I was just ticked off before. I've always had a temper, even in this life."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did." Masaya told her. "I feel like an idiot for letting this happen."

"Hey, you were just tricked by Apep." Coco pointed out. "It's not the first time he's done something like this. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"I'll try not to." Masaya replied. "Um, sorry about your father. It… it kinda looked like you were going to kill him yourself back there, though."

"No, I wasn't going to kill him." Coco assured him. "Though I was pretty tempted to break every bone in his body for what he did to Ichigo. Still… I can't believe that was the last time I'll ever speak to him. I wish I could do that moment all over again."

"Excuse me." A female voice interrupted.

Coco and Masaya both looked up to see Ichigo sitting in a wheelchair. Standing behind her was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She had short blue hair and wore a white lab coat, indicating that she was a doctor.

"Oh god! Ichigo, you're not paralyzed from the waist down, are you?" a very concerned Coco asked.

"Relax Coco, I'm just sitting in this thing because I'm too tired to walk." Ichigo replied. "You don't have to be such a drama queen."

"You must be Ms. Momomiya's older sister." The blue haired woman observed. "I'm Dr. Ami Mizuno."

"You mean the only doctor who'd examine my sister was some wet behind the ears intern?" an outraged Coco asked.

"Actually, I've been at this job for almost ten years now." Ami informed her as her left eye twitched a bit.

"Oh, sorry doc." Coco told her. "I'm kind of having a bad day."

"It's quite all right." Ami assured her. "Anyway, your sister is only suffering from a case of exhaustion. She should make a full recovery, but I think she should stay home from school for at least a week. She should also avoid strenuous activity for a while."

"No problem. Thanks doc." Coco replied.

"Good day to you all." Ami told them before walking off.

"Well, I guess the only thing for me to do is head back home." Ichigo assumed.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Coco told her. "Your parents are still out of town, and I don't like the idea of you being alone in your condition. You should stay at my place for now."

"Your place?" Ichigo repeated.

"I have an apartment that's not far from here." Coco explained. "There's a spare room you can stay in."

"Sounds good to me." Ichigo agreed.

A short bus ride later, the three had arrived at Coco's apartment building. The apartment itself was on one of the higher floors and was quite spacious. Ichigo was immediately brought to the guestroom where she rested on the bed while Masaya and Coco saw to getting her settled in.

"Well, I should probably get going now." Masaya decided once they finished up. "I'm sure I should check in with the rest of the gang at the café."

"Say hi to them for me." Ichigo requested.

"No problem." Masaya replied before kissing her on the forehead. "I'll see you soon." With that, Masaya left the room as Coco sat on the edge of the bed.

Ichigo noticed the somewhat sad smile on Coco's face. "You okay?"

"Well… I have my health at least." Coco responded. "It's been years since I could say that."

"Dr. Trojan… did make some mistakes." Ichigo admitted. "But it's okay to be sad about his death. He was your dad, after all."

"…You know one of the worst parts of all this is that now I'm pretty much alone." Coco spoke as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I'm the only one left in my family."

Ichigo reached over and took Coco's hand. "You're not alone. You still have me… sis."

At that point, Coco broke down and hugged Ichigo tightly as she began to sob. They stayed like that for several minutes.

* * *

Sasha awoke inside what seemed like some kind of pod with a glass lid. The lid raised itself upward, allowing Sasha to exit. As she got out, the other Mew Slayers emerged from their own pods. The five found that they were in a dimly lit chamber with metal walls.

"Where are we?" Sasha wondered.

"I could be wrong, but I believe this may be an underground level to Dr. Trojan's lab." Alyssa deduced. "These pods we were in seem designed to speed the regenerative capabilities of the nanotechnology within us."

"Well, it seems like they work." Eve spoke as she moved the arm that had earlier been injured by Coco. "But I could probably use a spa day after the pounding we just took."

Suddenly a large metal door at the top of some steps at the front of the room opened up. Walking in was a man who looked to be in his late twenties. He had what many would consider to be handsome features, fair skin and dark neatly combed hair. His outfit consisted of a white suit with a red tie and a pair of snakeskin boots.

"Well, nice to see you all awake." The man spoke as he walked down the steps.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasha asked.

"I'm Troy Knight, and starting today you can consider me your new boss." The man answered. "It was my organization that made it possible for Dr. Trojan to create your powers."

"Dr. Trojan informed us that his project was funded by the United States government." Alyssa recalled.

"Well, he was partially right." Troy admitted. "I do have a U.S. senator in my back pocket. But the defense contractors that provided the money and materials Dr. Trojan needed were all companies owned by me."

"So what, are you saying you own us?" an offended Colette asked.

"I wouldn't put it that way." Troy replied. "Think of yourselves more as my employees. As of right now, the five of you work for the Shadow Firm."

"Hate to break it to ya, pal. But that's not your call." Connie told him.

"That's right. We answer to someone much bigger than you." Sasha added.

"Oh really." Troy responded with a chuckle. "And just who would that be?"

_"That would be me."_ Apep's voice answered, startling Troy.

"Who's there?" Troy demanded to know. "How the hell did you get in here?"

_"I am Apep. And while it wasss your organization that may have provided Trojan the meansss to do his work, he the created the Mew Ssslayersss by my will."_ The serpent informed him. _"Your ambition and lussst for power isss great, Troy Knight, and you ssseem asss cunning asss Ssseth wasss brutish. You and I could do great thingsss together."_

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

_"I can make you a king of thisss world."_ Apep explained. _"I can help you ssstep out from your father'sss shadow and make your organization a power to be feared."_

"How… how do you know about that?" a surprised Troy asked.

_"Humansss are eassy for me to read."_ Apep explained. _"Ssso what do you sssay, Troy? We could be partnersss. I can give you power, and in return you can help me get the thingsss I want. Sssuch asss the dessstruction of Tokyo Mew Mew."_

"I can't say I fully trust you, but I am interested in this offer of yours." Troy admitted. "Okay, I'll take you up on it and see what happens."

_"Good. Then you shall become my right hand."_ Apep decided. _"Lord Ssserpentine."_

A shadowy black snake appeared behind Troy and bit down on his neck. He became enveloped in a pillar of black energy. The energy faded and Troy had become clothed in a black bodysuit with silver armor covering his upper torso, waist, wrists, and ankles. Emblazoned on the front of the chest plate in black was a large letter S that resembled a snake. He also had on a large purple cape and a silver mask that looked like the head of a cobra. The open mouth of this cobra's head had a silver faceplate and black visor that obscured Troy's actual face.

_"Now then, my Ssslayersss."_ Apep continued. _"Give my new right hand the ressspect he dessservesss."_

All five Mew Slayers kneeled before Troy. "All hail Lord Serpentine!"

"I think I'm going to like this arrangement." Troy decided.

END OF BOOK 1

* * *

**Afterward:** This has so far been one of the hardest stories I've ever written. From the time I started work on, I've experienced several personal, creative, and technical issues (by technical issues, I mean computer problems). But this is a story I've been wanting to do for a long time now, and I'm glad it's finally done. Or at least this first book is. This series itself still has a long way to go.

It may be a little while before I can get book two off the ground. It's still in the outline stage. Plus I've got a few other projects to get back to work on as well, such as my Pokemon AU. But I'll try and get it up as soon as I can. The next book will focus more on Coco and how she gets along with the rest of Tokyo Mew Mew. I'm sure many have already noticed that she sort of has a personality conflict with Berry. And of course there will also be more "guest stars" appearing in the next book.

So stay tuned for **Serpent's Game Book 2: Black Lion and White Tiger**

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


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